Winter tonic - chestnut

This is the 4639th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

The taste of winter in many people's memories is the sweet and sticky taste of the sugar-roasted chestnuts that are just out of the oven and still steaming on the roadside. Because chestnuts are loved by everyone, many people also look forward to the arrival of winter. Even if the weather is cold, having hot sugar-roasted chestnuts as a companion is also a major feature of winter. But did you know that chestnuts can also be eaten raw? What is the difference between eating chestnuts raw and cooked? Please listen to the editor to tell you the past and present of chestnuts, their medicinal and edible value, and eating precautions.

The past and present of chestnut

Chestnut is native to my country and is one of the earliest planted fruit trees. It has a long history of thousands of years. It is known as one of the five famous fruits in ancient China together with jujube, peach, apricot and plum. There are many records about chestnut in the Book of Songs. "Tree hazel chestnuts, chair tung, zelkova and lacquer, cut zither and harp", which shows that chestnut has been widely cultivated. "Chestnuts at the east gate, there are family members" in "Zheng Feng Dongmen Zhi Yan" uses the longing for chestnut trees to metaphorically express the expectation of love. There are many records of ancient people eating chestnuts. "Zhuangzi Daozhi" says: "In ancient times, there were many beasts and few people, so people all lived in nests to avoid them. They ate oak chestnuts during the day and roosted on trees at night, so they were called Youchaoshi." It can be seen that chestnuts were an important food for human survival at that time. The method of sugar-fried chestnuts appeared around the Song Dynasty. The earliest book recording sugar-fried chestnuts was Lu You's "Notes of Laoxue'an", which mentioned the most famous fried chestnut in the old capital Kaifeng - Lihe Chaoli. Nowadays, chestnut is also one of the favorite dried fruits. There are many ways to eat it, it can be eaten raw, made into cakes, dishes, porridge, etc., but the most popular one is the sweet and soft sugar-fried chestnut.

The medicinal and edible value of chestnut

Chestnuts are not only delicious, but also nutritious. From a nutritional point of view, the starch content of chestnuts is about 56%-72%, protein is 5.7%-10.7%, and it contains more unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Therefore, eating chestnuts can replace some staple foods such as rice to supplement the energy we need every day. It is a good helper to satisfy hunger and supplement nutrition in daily life.

Chestnuts are not only edible, but also used as medicine. It is one of the "five fruits" mentioned in the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic". According to Chinese medicine theory, chestnuts are sweet and warm in nature, enter the spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians, and have the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the waist. Moreover, the effects of eating chestnuts raw and cooked are different. Eating chestnuts raw can strengthen the kidneys and waist, and can treat common kidney deficiency, frequent urination at night, back pain and weak legs in middle-aged and elderly people. Because it can nourish the kidneys, the King of Medicine Sun Simiao called chestnuts "kidney fruit". Eating cooked chestnuts is more invigorating for the spleen, and is suitable for people with spleen deficiency who often have poor appetite and diarrhea. Chestnuts can also be used as medicine for external use. Mashing raw chestnuts and applying them to the affected area can treat bruises, swelling and pain in the muscles and bones. As recorded in the "Tang Materia Medica": Chewing chestnuts raw and applying them to the disease can treat broken muscles and bones, pain, and swelling and bruises."

Modern research shows that chestnuts have a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on hypertension, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, etc. Moreover, chestnuts are rich in vitamin B2, and eating chestnuts regularly has a certain effect on oral ulcers.

Taboos on eating chestnuts

Although chestnuts are good, there are some things to pay attention to when eating them. Because of their high starch content, eating too much can easily cause weight gain, especially for diabetics who need to be especially careful not to eat too much. It is especially not advisable to eat large amounts of raw chestnuts, otherwise it will be difficult to digest, and it is not recommended for people with spleen deficiency to eat them raw. Eating too many cooked chestnuts can easily cause stagnation of qi, abdominal distension, hiccups and other symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended to eat 3-5 chestnuts a day when eating raw, and the amount of cooked chestnuts should also be appropriately controlled. If you eat chestnuts, the staple food of the day can be appropriately reduced.

Common ways to eat chestnuts

In addition to being made into delicious sugar-roasted chestnuts, chestnuts can also be made into other delicious dishes on the table.

stew

For example, the famous chestnut roast duck. It is made with sweet and delicious chestnuts and tender duck meat. It has a rich taste, can strengthen the spleen and appetite, supplement nutrition, and regulate the body. Similarly, in addition to duck meat, chestnuts can also be cooked with chicken, pork, etc.

Cooking porridge

People with weak spleen and stomach are very suitable for eating chestnut and yam porridge. 30g of chestnut meat and yam, 10g of fried white lentils, 5 dates, and 100g of rice. Add the above ingredients to water and cook porridge.

Chestnuts are an excellent winter tonic. Based on their medicinal and edible properties, use your imagination to make a delicious dish of your own. You can nourish your spleen and kidneys while enjoying the delicious taste on your tongue.

Author: Liang Xiaolan, Class of 2018, Eight-year Program in Traditional Chinese Medicine (PhD Program) at Naval Medical University

Supervisor: Zhang Huiqing, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naval Medical University

Project funding: The first round of Shanghai Health Science Talent Capacity Improvement Project (JKKPYC-2022-10)