Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

Chestnut

Browsing
Food

Water Chestnut: Origin, Uses and Nutritional Values

The Chinese water chestnut is mainly known from Asian cuisine. But what is actually in it and what about its eco-balance?

Despite its name, the Chinese water chestnut is not a nut: the plant native to Asia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific (botanical: Eleocharis dulcis) is a sour grass plant. It thrives in ponds, swamps, and in other shallow bodies of water. The aquatic plant is mainly grown in stagnant water in various, very humid and hot, tropical and subtropical areas – especially in China and Southeast Asia.

The green sprouts, which are up to 1.5 meters long, protrude from the water and are used by the fissured goose, which is native to northern Australia, to build nests. The edible part of the water chestnut is the root tuber, which grows on a so-called rootstock – also called “rhizomes”. These got their name because of their resemblance to our typical sweet chestnut. Similar to these, they are brown on the outside but white and fleshy on the inside.

The Chinese water chestnut is often confused with the water nut (Trapa natans), which is also colloquially called water chestnut. However, the two plants are not related to each other: the water chestnut was once widespread even in our country, but is now one of the endangered species.

Cooking and baking with the water chestnut

Water chestnuts are mainly used in Asian cuisine. There they are prepared both raw and boiled, deep-fried, grilled or pickled. You can also use water chestnuts ground: Their high starch content makes them ideal as a flour substitute for baking.

Eaten raw, the water chestnut has a fresh and sweet taste. The consistency of the root is said to be reminiscent of apples. In China, they are often sold on small skewers as a fresh street snack. But be careful, the larvae of the giant intestinal fluke can easily nest in the uncooked water chestnuts. So always pay attention to the quality of the product.
Boiled, roasted and roasted, the water chestnut is cut into small slices and added to various wok dishes with vegetables and meat. The roots can also be chopped up and baked in Chinese mouth swaps (dim sum) or wonton. Even when cooked, the water chestnuts are still crunchy. This is probably due to the antioxidant ferulic acid, which stabilizes cell walls even in high heat.
With us you will find water chestnuts mainly in cans. They are sold in many Asian markets. Even in this state, they retain their crunchy texture. So you can easily add them to your dishes without much preparation. However, make sure that they are only soaked in water or their own juice so that they retain their flavor.
Because of its fresh sweetness, the delicious root is also used in desserts in China: in water chestnut cakes or sweet water chestnut soup. The cakes are made from water chestnut flour and are often served at Chinese New Year celebrations. Sweet soups are a special treat in Asia, which, in contrast to western desserts, have a more digestible sweetness and are slightly refreshing. Again, the fresh fruit is mixed with the flour, eggs and sugar.

Water chestnuts are healthy: the nutritional values

Water chestnuts are high in nutrients – and low in calories.

100 grams of tasty tuber consist to

73% water and too
24% from carbohydrates (of which 5% sugar and 3% fiber)
They contain 97 kcal (more than 100 grams of potatoes, less than 100 grams of pasta).
At 584 milligrams, potassium is the mineral with the largest proportion in water chestnuts.
In addition, water chestnuts are rich in various phenolic acids and antioxidants:

Ferulic acid (antimicrobial, also used in beer fermentation)
Gallates (used as antioxidants in food production)
Flavonoids (phytochemicals)
Due to their many healthy ingredients, water chestnuts can have the following positive effects on your health:

They slow down the aging process: the phenols in water chestnuts neutralize free radicals and thus reduce the effects of oxidative stress.
They inhibit tumor growth: Researchers discovered that the shell of the water chestnut suppresses the cell growth of tumor cells due to its numerous antioxidants. The flavonoids were mainly responsible for this; including in particular the substance luteolin, which reduced the growth of lung cancer cells.
They lower blood pressure: Due to their high potassium content, water chestnuts can have a very good effect on your heart health. Potassium has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and especially stroke.
They fill you up faster: Since water chestnuts are 73% water, they are very filling. At 97 kcal, they have about as many calories as a banana and are at least as filling.
They are antibacterial: a study found that the ethyl acetate from the water chestnut can act against typical food-borne bacteria such as staphylococci or E. coli.

Water chestnuts and their eco-balance

The water chestnut is mainly found in tropical and subtropical areas; in Africa, Asia and Australia. The main growing areas of the root crop are China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, so the transport routes are very long.

Since the water chestnut needs a certain day/night rhythm, cultivation is only worthwhile in very specific areas near the equator. Elsewhere, water chestnuts grow very sparsely and it is not commercially viable to grow them. That’s why you won’t find them regionally.

According to a WWF environmental report on China, 67% of freshwater bodies are polluted and acid rain falls on a third of the country. Since most water chestnuts are imported from China, contamination is not unlikely. In addition, according to the Ceres organic control body, many supposedly “organic products” imported from China do not meet organic standards.

Since water chestnuts are still relatively rarely bought here, the selection of independently controlled, fair and organic products is rather small and it is still very difficult to find out about the production circumstances of the tuber.

In Germany, water chestnuts are mainly sold in cans. So if you want to avoid waste, long transport routes and poor growing conditions, you should avoid water chestnuts.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Chestnut Honey: What Makes it Special and How it Works

Chestnut honey is touted as a miracle cure in naturopathy and is popular with gourmets because of its tart taste. What the noble honey is all about.

What is special about chestnut honey?

Chestnut honey is a very special delicacy and significantly more expensive than conventional honey. This is because chestnut honey can only be produced to a limited extent.

For chestnut honey, bees have to collect the nectar of the chestnut tree during its brief flowering period from June to July. After its heyday, the chestnut tree begins to develop the sweet chestnut, also known as chestnut.

Pure chestnut honey has a very intense taste and can also taste bitter. Beekeepers mitigate the bitter taste by mixing pure chestnut honey with another type of honey. Robinia honey in particular is popular with beekeepers because it is cheap and tastes mild. If a product is officially called chestnut honey, the honey must consist of at least 90 percent nectar from chestnut trees.

The Health Benefits of Chestnut Honey

Like other types of honey, chestnut honey consists largely of sugar, which is supplemented by a small proportion of enzymes, acids, vitamins and minerals. About 75 percent of the sugar contained in honey consists of the two simple sugars glucose and fructose. Chestnut honey is characterized by a particularly high fructose content, which is why it has a liquid consistency and crystallizes very slowly.

Chestnut honey is repeatedly touted by manufacturers as a natural remedy. Various scientific studies have shown that honey can have a health-promoting effect. So it was found that honey:
has an antioxidant effect and thus protects the body from free radicals and fights inflammation.
can delay the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
has a probiotic and antibacterial effect and thus protects the body from harmful germs.
Chestnut honey is one of the healthiest types of honey as it is very high in antioxidants and minerals. In addition, chestnut honey contains a high proportion of monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These are used as antidepressants by psychologists and psychiatrists to treat depression, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Chestnut honey can actually trigger feelings of happiness in you.

Chestnut honey is a sugar and should therefore only be consumed in moderation

With all the health benefits of chestnut honey, you should always keep in mind that honey is a sugar. (It contains up to 85 different types of sugar.) The World Health Organization recommends that you consume no more than six teaspoons of pure sugar per day.

If you consume too much sugar, the risk of developing:
overweight and obesity
diabetes
cardiovascular diseases
Therefore, always consume honey in moderation. Sweetening the tea or yoghurt with a little chestnut honey or other honey is healthier than using white sugar or sweetener.

Keep Reading
By
Cooking Tips

Are Chestnuts Edible? – the Difference Between Horse Chestnut and Chestnut

Some chestnuts are edible, others are poisonous to humans. Here we show the differences between horse chestnuts, sweet chestnuts and chestnuts.

Horse chestnuts, sweet chestnuts, chestnuts – which ones are edible?

When the brown leaves fall from the trees in autumn, the chestnuts also fall to the ground. In Germany, there are almost exclusively two different types of chestnuts found in nature: the horse chestnut and the sweet chestnut.

Most people know the fruit of the sweet chestnut as chestnuts or chestnuts. They are considered a delicacy and are in great demand in autumn. At many events and in big cities there are chestnut stands where you can get fresh hot chestnuts. The chestnut variety is edible, whereas horse chestnuts are poisonous.

Horse chestnuts are not edible: this is how you distinguish them from chestnuts

Horse chestnuts are much more common than sweet chestnuts with edible chestnuts. You can easily tell the two types apart:

The leaves of the horse chestnut consist of five smaller individual leaves that look similar to beech leaves.
The leaves of the sweet chestnut, on the other hand, do not have five leaves, but hang individually on the branches. They also have small, sharp spines on the edge.
Edible chestnuts (marrons) look different: They taper to one side and have a brush-like puff at the top.
The shape of the chestnuts is rather flat and pointed, the shape of the horse chestnuts is more round.
The husk of the horse chestnut has hard, short spines. There are many longer spines on the chestnut shell.
Horse chestnuts flower from April to May and lose leaves and fruit in September and October. Eating horse chestnuts is poisonous to humans, but children like to make small chestnut figures out of them. It’s not dangerous as long as the children don’t swallow the chestnuts. More about this here: Handicrafts with chestnuts: Instructions for chestnut men and Co. You can also make detergent from horse chestnuts or a horse chestnut ointment.

Tip: For many animals, chestnuts are not only harmless, they are actually a real treat. Wild boar and deer like the chestnuts very much. At foresters or in a game reserve there are often collection containers to which you can bring the collected chestnuts for the animals.

Edible chestnuts: Eat them raw, cooked or baked?

The sweet chestnut flowers in June and July, a little later than the horse chestnut. The chestnuts also fall a little later from the tree – it won’t be until the end of September at the earliest. When the chestnuts are ripe, the prickly skin bursts open and wilts. Shortly thereafter, they fall to the ground. Up to three edible chestnuts can sit in a chestnut shell. You can eat them raw, boiled and also baked:

In the case of raw chestnuts, you must first remove the peel.
If you cook or bake chestnuts, you must first slit them crosswise. Then the heat can penetrate the chestnuts and cook them. The chestnuts are only peeled after cooking/baking.

The edible chestnuts are very high in calories, but also healthy: They contain a lot of high-quality protein and significantly less fat than nuts. Potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, as well as vitamin E, vitamin C, almost all B vitamins and beta-carotene are also found in large quantities in the chestnuts.

You can find the sweet chestnut in many parks and deciduous forests. If you look around carefully during walks, you can spot them.

Keep Reading
By