Immortalised in poems and Christmas songs, the chestnut is a popular ingredient in myriad cuisines, from Chinese to Japanese, and Italian to Korean. Candied, boiled, steamed, grilled, roasted, dried, ground or deep-fried, there’s nothing the crumbly chestnut can’t handle.

Chestnuts have a lower oil and higher water content compared to other nuts, thus resulting in their unique, soft texture. As water makes up about half the chestnut’s weight, chestnuts should be treated more like fruits and vegetables than nuts when it comes to storage, and should be kept in the refrigerator for optimum freshness.