The chestnuts
The chestnut picked in the chestnut woods of Treglia is called "ufarella". This kind have a size smaller than other ones and its rind has more glossiness.
Even if it is raw, we can pell it easily; it is much tasty and therefore it is used to prepare the sweets.
As proof of its high traditional connotation and its link with the territory of origin, the tasty local chestnut has been included in the list of Prodotti Agroalimentari Tradizione (PAT) with the denomination "castagna ufarella".
In the old times, the chestnuts were called
"the bread
of the poor people"
because they had an easily possibility
of finding; grilled or boiled, they replaced the bread. Today,
the chestnuts satisfy the requirements of a sound feeding
because they can be cultivated in biological way.
From the viewpoint of the nutrition, the chestnuts are similar
to the wheat and the rice. Therefore, they are called
"the
cereal that grows an the trees"
. They have a high percentage
of starch and a short percentage of water. They have a lot
of calories, vitamins (B1, B2 and PP), phosphorus, iron and
mineral salts, especially the potassium wich helps to regularize
the blood pressure.
The chestnuts are laxative because they content many fibre
and they can generate swilling; if we don't overeat them,
we reduce these collateral effects. The infusion obtained
by the leafs can calm the cough and the decoctions obtained
by the fruit and the rind have anti-diarrhoeic properties. The diabetics and the sufferers
from liver disease should eat them moderately.