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| Photo: Barbara L. Hanson, Flickr. |
Chestnuts were once a mainstay of the Appalachian diet, showing up in stews, sauces and breads. The Cherokee and other native peoples didn't wait until Christmas Day to enjoy their chestnuts roasted: They relied on the nutritious, fat-packed nut to fuel their activities throughout chestnut season. After European settlers shimmied their wagons across the Blue Ridge, they too developed a fondness for chestnuts. Honorary ACF board member and past president Jimmy Carter recalls filling his pockets with chestnuts for snacking.
"People really like them," says foundation spokeswoman Meghan Jordan. Compared to the Chinese and European chestnuts now available, she adds, the American chestnut is "much sweeter and much tastier."
But for the last 50 years, few people have had the chance to test Jordan's contentions. That's because in the early 20th century, blight struck more than 5 billion trees, wiping out a cash crop previously so plentiful that Southerners had little trouble collecting enough nuts to fill northbound railroad cars, destined to sate the cravings of Yuletide-minded city dwellers. "We want to see these trees thriving again," Jordan says.
The American Chestnut Foundation was formed in 1983 to speed the return of the American chestnut -- which once accounted for one out of every four American trees -- and hosts an annual conference at which chestnuts are always served. Jordan says she's been struck by what talented chefs can do with an American chestnut's distinctive taste, and predicts the foodstuff's resurgence could galvanize a new generation of Appalachian cooks to create dishes featuring its flavors. "It's a pretty versatile food," she says.
While there aren't yet any guarantees that the new strain of chestnut will prove 100-percent blight-resistant, Jordan says the verdict should be in soon -- an occasion that should definitely be celebrated with a slice of American chestnut torte.
