Chestnut

The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) is a cultivated species originally native to southern Europe and Asia Minor. There are extensive plantations in parts of southern France, Italy, and some other countries. This tree grows 30-100 ft tall (9-30 m), with wide, spreading branches. The nuts of the sweet chestnut are highly nutritious, containing about 80% starch and 4% oil. Chestnuts are eaten roasted or boiled, or sometimes ground into a flour and used to make cakes. In 1999, the global crop of sweet chestnut was harvested from about 630,000 acres (255,000 ha) and had a production of 573,000 tons (521,000 tonnes).