Mont Dol is ook bekend als paleontologische site, overblijfselen van tientallen dieren, waaronder mammoeten, neushoorns en zelfs beren werden er gevonden. Maar wat mij hier het meeste opvalt zijn wel de oude, indrukwekkende, levende kastanjebomen. Vol met energierijke vruchten maar energie geven doen ze al door er gewoon naar te kijken.
Over Castanea sativa
Castanea sativa Mill., also known as sweet chestnut, belongs to the Fagaceae family. Additionally known by the common names of marron, European chestnut, Spanish chestnut, and Portuguese chestnut, C. sativa fruits are a popular food item on nearly every continent. A mid-sized tree that originated in the Mediterranean areas of Europe over ninety million years ago, C. sativa has spread throughout the rest of the continent and into parts of western Asia and northern Africa (Lim, 2012). Archeological evidence indicates that the sativa species surfaced in Asia Minor where it was first domesticated. The advent of the Roman Empire shortly thereafter greatly expanded the species’ range into areas of western and northern Europe where it became a prominent food source for rural populations. Thus, European populations have relied on sweet chestnut for their nutritional value for nearly 3,000 years, and its popularity has migrated across oceans and over mountains to both Asia and America where high consumption occurs. Although edible, chestnuts are infrequently eaten raw, and most often the nuts are cooked, boiled or baked in order to enhance the taste, modify the texture, and increase nutritional value (De Vasconcelos et al., 2010).Despite this widespread use as a food source, sweet chestnut also harbors several medicinal properties that greatly benefit human health. As early as the first century, C. sativa was used for its astringent and antitoxic capabilities evidenced in the works of an early pharmacologist, Pedanius Dioscorides (De Vasconcelos et al., 2010). Since antiquity, all parts of the sweetchestnut plant—the bark, wood, leaves, fruits—have been
used in the Mediterranean and other areas of Europe to treat a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory problems, skin and soft tissue infections, inflammation, vascular problems, diarrhea, wounds, and rheumatism among others (Budriesi et al., 2010; Chiarini et al., 2013; Jarić et al., 2007; Quave, Plano,
& Bennett, 2011; Zlatanov, Antova, Angelova-Romova, & Teneva, 2013). Recent studies have not only confirmed and justified many of these traditional applications of C. sativa, but they have also found new medicinal uses and potential applications of various parts of the plant. Due to high concentrations of phenolic compounds in nearly every part of the plant, C. sativa leaves, bark, fruit, spines and wood have
demonstrated significant antioxidant activity and thus can be used to prevent photo-aging, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and other oxidative stressassociated diseases (Grdovic et al., 2012). In addition to widespread antioxidant activity, individual components of C. sativa have demonstrated other significant disease-reducing capabilities; various extracts have shown cardioprotective, anti-quorum sensing, antispasmodic, anticancer, anthelmintic, and antibacterial activities (Bahuaud et al., 2006; Basile et al., 2000; Budriesi et al., 2010; Chiarini et al., 2013; Frederich et al., 2009; Jedinak, Valachova, Maliar, & Sturdik, 2010; Quave et al., 2011). Coupling its rich medicinal properties with its excellent taste, C. sativa is a superb medicinal food and promising candidate for pharmaceutical development (De Vasconcelos et al., 2010).
Over kastanjes poffen
Als kind kan ik mij vooral het poffen van kastanjes herinneren, ook al weer een klein ritueel. Het poffen was leuker dan het eten zelf. Maar toch, het poffen van kastanjes dus:
Maak met een scherp mes een kruis in de bovenkant van de kastanjes (anders spatten ze uit elkaar).
In de oven: Verwarm de oven voor op 200 graden Celsius en leg de kastanjes (15 - 20 minuten) in de oven tot ze openspringen.
In een pan (met deksel): Smelt 20 gram boter in een grote pan, doe de kastanjes er in en laat ze, met de deksel op de pan, op niet te hoog vuur in circa 20 minuten poffen, schud ze af en toe om.
Poffen kan ook in de hete as, het mooiste van allemaal of modern op de barbecue. Verpak de kastanjes dan eerst in aluminiumfolie.
Warme gepofte kastanjes zijn lekker met een klontje boter, zout en peper (kinderen vinden suiker meestal lekkerder).
