Chestnuts have been the foundation of the mountain economy for years, so much so that the Voluntary Consortium of Chestnut Growers of the Upper Reno valley was established to continue to promote this product.
The chestnut can be considered a valuable food because of its nutritional characteristics. It has a moderate intake of protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals. The chestnut can be considered suitable for the diet of children, adults, and the elderly taking care to consume it well cooked. This is because being rich in carbohydrates (sugars) it provides excellent fuel for our energy during muscular efforts and is easily assimilated and digested by our bodies.
These fruits used to be consumed mainly in the form of flour, but nowadays there are few producers who deal with them, including the aforementioned Castanicoltori of the Upper Reno valley. Chestnuts are dried in "casoni" (also known as "metati" or "essiccatoi") and then ground in mills that are still functioning. Delicious culinary products are made from the flour, such as ciacci (a thin, soft crush, cooked in special molds, to be paired with cheeses and cured meats), sweet polenta, fritters and castagnaccio (a typical mountain dessert, unleavened, sometimes enriched with pine nuts or raisins). Chestnuts can also be eaten boiled (the "balotti") or cooked with a special pan over an open fire (the "frugiate" or roasted chestnuts).