Letters from Tuscany
Cooking with an Italian accent
EP32 - Chestnuts and chestnut flour in Tuscan cuisine
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EP32 - Chestnuts and chestnut flour in Tuscan cuisine

Today buying good quality chestnut flour can be difficult, and it is certainly more expensive than it used to be. A good local organic stone ground wheat flour costs about 2€ a kilo. If you want to buy an organic, stone ground chestnut flour made with local chestnuts, that flour can cost from 10€ up to 15€ a kilo! It used to be the flour of poor people, of those who could not afford, or get hold of, wheat flour, and now it is considered a delicacy, as it is a gluten free flour, very nutrituous, rich in fibers, minerals and vitamins.
Yet, chestnut flour is one of the most fundamental ingredients of the cucina povera, the peasant cooking, of the Tuscan mountains, from Garfagnana and Lunigiana, through the Appennino Pitoiese, down to Mugello and Mount Amiata, basically the whole mountain right side of Tuscany, from north to south.
In today’s episode, we will explore the local traditions and recipes related to chestnuts and chestnuts flour, from bread to pasta, to castagnaccio and necci.

Discover more stories and recipes in my latest cookbook "From the Market of Tuscany": https://en.julskitchen.com/cookbooks

On the blog:
- Castagnaccio: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/castagnaccio-chestnut-cake
- Necci: https://en.julskitchen.com/dessert/necci-tuscan-chestnut-pancakes
- Pecorino and chestnut risotto: https://en.julskitchen.com/first-course/rice-cereals/pecorino-and-chestnut-risotto
- Potato, porcini and chestnut soup: https://en.julskitchen.com/first-course/soup/potato-porcini-and-chestnut-soup


Email me at juls@julskitchen.com

Podcast realized by @tommyonweb

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Letters from Tuscany
Cooking with an Italian accent
Ciao, I am Giulia Scarpaleggia, a Tuscan born and bred country girl, a home cook, a food writer and a photographer. I teach Tuscan cooking classes in my house in the countryside in between Siena and Florence. I’ve been sharing honest, reliable Italian recipes for 14 years now, through my cookbooks and our blog Juls' Kitchen. If you love everything about Italian food, big crowded tables and seasonal ingredients, join us and follow our podcast “Cooking with an Italian accent“.