WTF…WHERE ARE ALL THE CHESTNUTS?!?
These bags of dried chestnuts are carefully hidden deep in my pantry to guard them from looting snackers. One bag was carried all the way back from a Europe, and another was sold for a limited time at a local store for an outrageous price.
Chestnuts, dried and vacuum sealed are a staple in many European grocery stores. And I see the all them time in Asia (this includes a Hong Kong 7 Eleven where their own store-brand packets were being sold). They are usually meant to be added to recipes and I have come up with a bunch of clever food combos that use them. But they are also a good addition to yogurt and cereal, and if heated up they become a tasty snack all on their own that seems truly gourmet.
Dried chestnuts are freaking healthy …for nuts, they are really low in fat. Munching on chestnuts is a whole lot better for you than munching on Corn Nuts or Nutter Butters. And for all you muesli-eating-hippies out there, these are generally preservative free and ‘chestnuts’ are listed on the packaging as the single ingredient.
But why in the Hell are they so amazingly rare here in the USA? Plus; if you do manage to find the damn things, they are insanely expensive!
So chestnuts, like certain cereals, ice cream, and various other tasty treats remain solely within reach of those lucky Europeans. I think that forever, when preparing to travel back home from overseas, I will be left leaving clothes behind so that I can stock my suitcase with bags of dried chestnuts. I feel like a damn squirrel sometimes.
Hopefully, one day, Wal-Mart will replace some of the crap on its shelves with some low-priced items that truly will help me “Save Money.” AND “Live Better.”
An amazing combo where chestnuts played a critical role: chestnuts, cranberries, goat cheese, and butternut squash all piled onto some flat bread.
Fed Up Food 
I don’t really get chestnuts. I’ve tried them a few times over the years, though admittedly never dried in a bag like you have pictured. My experience is with the fresh ones in the produce department around Christmas that you have to score and roast yourself. I’m probably roasting them wrong but to me they just taste like a big huge chikpea. I just don’t know what to do with them outside of chestnut stuffing.
Strangely enough, I just noticed a basket full of mesh bags of Chestnuts in my local Kroger’s produce department this past weekend. They have been absent since the week after Christmas. Is there some Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday/Lent/Easter tradition with chestnuts?
Well the dried chestnuts are practical-no cooking necessary….and I guess you are right they do sort of remind me of chickpeas. For some reason, I just like them…they are not all powerful like a good gourmet cheese or some perfectly picked berries; but they do have a nice flavor and can elevate a dish.
And no, I have NO idea why your Kroger would be stocking chestnuts right now…maybe they found a stash in their backroom and are trying to clear them out?
If you get the chance, try some of the dried chestnuts coarsely chopped up on top of some yogurt, cereal, and banana with a little maple syrup. That was breakfast from me the other day and it was pretty damn good.