Italy: Ligurian chestnut harvest conditioned by climate and wild boars

Chestnut Kernel

Italy

Published Nov 11, 2021

Tridge summary

From Gabbiana in Val Bormida to Brodasca in Val di Vara up to the most famous chestnuts: chestnuts are back in the Ligurian woods but the unfavorable climate puts harvesting at risk; in some areas, production has dropped by up to 80%, and the problem of the climate is joined by that of wild boars which often, especially in inland areas, raid the few fruits available.

Original content

The chestnut grove in Liguria constitutes about 30% of the regional wooded area and, after having risked its disappearance in past seasons due to the attack of the chestnut gall wasp, it is resuming, not without difficulty, its protagonism. Even at the national level, the harvest is lower than expected due to the summer drought but an increase of 10% is estimated compared to last year, with more than 38 million kilograms of chestnuts. We are talking about a fruit rich in nutrients, so much so that it is considered a complete food thanks to its contribution of sugars, proteins, vitamins and mineral salts: in the Ligurian food tradition it is consumed in many ways, from roasted chestnuts to those dried in tecci, from those cooked in milk and sugar to boiled ones, up to the processed ones like the flour with which the typical castagnaccio is prepared, as well as trofie and tagliatelle to be seasoned with walnut sauces, mushrooms and with the timeless Genoese pesto. "The chestnut has ...

Source: Sanremonews