Today chestnuts
indigenous to Japan are raised across the country. Tanba
city of Hyogo prefecture is particularly famous for its
delicious chestnuts. Chestnuts from that region are known
to be very plump and tasty. According to the “Chronicles
of Japan,” chestnuts from Tanba were selected as one
of the articles for presentation to the Japanese Imperial
Court and the Shogunate. Rice cooked with chestnuts, sweet
chestnuts, chestnut buns, bean jelly made with chestnuts
are only some of the items that make full use of the flavor
characteristics of Japanese chestnuts. Although it is hard
to remove the astringent skin, which is in-between the hard
shell and the edible fruit, from the chestnuts, their appetizing
aroma, particularly when they are cooked, is really special.
Japanese aromatic chestnuts are the best for making Japanese
style confectionaries, but other varieties are okay, too.
If you want to make marron glacé (chestnuts preserved
in sugar), however, you probably want to stay away from
Japanese chestnuts.
Each kind of chestnut seems
to be well-suited or ill-suited to various recipes depending
on its particular traits. Japanese chestnuts are large,
firm and sweet but the astringent skin gives cooks a little
trouble. Chinese chestnuts are relatively small in size
but very sweet, and the sweetness becomes more pronounced
after cooking. |
