Cultivation

Sweet chestnut trees grow in warmer regions with mild winters and dry summers. They are grown globally in temperate and subtropical regions and in Europe are found primarily in the Mediterranean region. The main producer of sweet chestnuts is China, followed by Italy, South Korea and Turkey. There are several species of sweet chestnut trees, in North America, the American chestnut, Castanea dentat, is native.

Utilisation

The fruit of the chestnut tree may be eaten raw but is consumed primarily after being cooked or roasted and is used as a filling or stuffing as well as a vegetable side dish for meat. In regions in which the chestnut has been grown traditionally, the fruit is also milled to flour and then used in the production of:

• bread, cake and other baked goods
• regional specialties, such as gnocchi
• ice cream, pudding, cake fillings, crèmes, pastry and desserts

Since sweet chestnuts contain no gluten, food products made from them may also be consumed by persons suffering from celiac disease (a disorder of the small intestine, characterised partially by a reaction to gluten).

On Corsica, coarsely ground sweet chestnuts are used in the brewing of a regional beer.

Renewable raw materials:

• leaves and shells of the sweet chestnut contain saponins and also are used in the manufacture of shampoos.
• the wood of the sweet chestnut is weather resistant and is preferred for use outside (garden and patio furniture, playground equipment, construction).

Gene technology: aims of research and development

Agronomic traits

Resistance to pathogens

• fungal resistance

Weed management

• herbicide tolerance

Field trials with GM sweet chestnuts