Hungary: Few sweet chestnuts were produced in Europe this year, the lack of raw materials also teaches domestic processors a lesson

Chestnut Kernel

Hungary

Market & Price Trends

Published Dec 7, 2023

Tridge summary

This year's European sweet chestnut harvest was below average, affecting the amount of processed products available, and resulting in the need for significant imports, primarily from Italy. Despite the challenges, sweet chestnuts are popular in Hungary and used in a variety of desserts and meat dishes, and are considered a nutritious fruit due to their high vitamin and dietary fiber content. The geographical requirements for sweet chestnut cultivation, including wet weather, higher humidity, and acidic soil, limit its production to specific regions in Hungary, resulting in a relatively small annual yield of 150-300 tons.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

This year was not favorable for sweet chestnuts, the European harvest is far below the average, which also affects the amount of processed products - according to the overview of the National Chamber of Agriculture and the Hungarian Vegetable and Fruit Association, FruitVeB. Although this fruit with a special taste - which is a real vitamin bomb - is very popular among domestic consumers, the domestic production is small, so we need to import a significant amount. As the holiday season approaches, winter desserts come more and more to the fore, the excellent ingredient of which is the sweet chestnut, which offers a special taste experience. Moreover, in addition to sweets, meat dishes are also enhanced by this nutritious fruit. According to the joint overview of the National Chamber of Agriculture and the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Association (FruitVeB), sweet chestnuts are grown on about 281 hectares in Hungary. Special ecological requirements must be met for the cultivation ...

Source: NAK