chestnut, Castanea dentata, was brought to a
sad end in the early 20th century, when in the
course of a few decades, an imported Asian
fungal blight wiped out a tree that used to
make up 25% or more of the eastern
hardwood forest. Today, the world’s leading
chestnut producers are China, Korea, Turkey,
and Italy.
Because of its high initial moisture
content, the chestnut is quite perishable.
Chestnuts are best kept covered and
refrigerated, and should be eaten fairly
quickly. If freshly gathered, however, they
should be cured at room temperature for a few
days. This improves the flavor by permitting
some starch to be converted into sugar before
the cells’ metabolism is slowed down.
Why Brazil Nuts Rise to the Top of the
Bowl
A paper published in the 1987 Physical
Review Letters tried to crack a hard nut: