Basic Introduction to Yixing Chestnuts
Yixing Chestnuts: The chestnuts from the southern mountainous area of Yixing have long been famous. In 1980, Yixing County, Jiangsu Province, was listed as one of China's top chestnut-producing counties with an output of ten thousand dan. Chestnuts are more nutritious than rice and flour, rich in starch, fat, protein, and various vitamins. They are a nutrient-rich woody food source and have certain medicinal functions for boosting energy, strengthening the spleen, and promoting blood circulation. Yixing chestnuts, also known as “large chestnuts,” are known for their fullness, fragrance, stickiness, and sweetness. In recent years, varieties have been improved and they have been rated as excellent products in Jiangsu Province.
Nutritional Value
Yixing chestnuts are rich in starch, fat, protein, and various vitamins. They are a nutrient-rich woody food and are also high-quality ingredients for various dishes and pastries. They can be eaten raw, cooked, roasted, ground into powder for chestnut pastries or soups, or made into candied fruit.
Product Characteristics
Chestnuts belong to the genus Castanea of the beech family and include about 7-9 species. Generally, in China, there are two types: wild chestnuts and hybrid-improved chestnuts. The widely cultivated variety in China is a hybrid that has been improved through cultivation. These chestnuts are large, sweet, and resistant to diseases, which is why they are widely planted. Chestnuts are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and most types of chestnut trees are deciduous trees 20-40 meters tall, with only a few being shrubs.
Historical and Folk Customs
The history of Yixing chestnuts goes back a long way. In the “Records of the Grand Historian” (Shiji) by Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty, there is a clear record in the “Chapter on the Wealth of Nations” stating, “In Yan and Qin, there are a thousand chestnut trees…the people here are equivalent to the rank of a thousand-house marquis.” In “The Biography of Su Qin,” it is mentioned, “When Qin spoke to King Wen of Yan, he said: To the south lies the abundance of Jieshi and Yumen, and to the north, the benefits of jujubes and chestnuts. Even if the people do not work hard, they can still live well off the jujubes and chestnuts alone; this is what is called a land of natural bounty.” Lu Ji, during the Western Jin Dynasty, commented on the “Book of Songs” saying, “Chestnuts grow in all five directions, but those from Yu and Fan Yang are especially sweet and flavorful, surpassing those from other places.” From this, we can see that the Chinese people had already been cultivating chestnuts over four thousand years ago.
Yixing chestnuts mainly grow in low mountain slopes, gentle hills, and riverbank areas. Famous chestnut-producing regions include Pingle in Guangxi, Jinzhai in Anhui, Qianxi and Bancheng Man Autonomous County in Hebei (both chestnut production bases), Tancheng in Shandong, Luotian and Yingshan in Hubei (with Yantianhe in Macheng), Luoshan, Guangshan, and Pingqiao District in Xinyang, Henan, and Zhen'an in Shaanxi.