While I was in France last fall, I saw chestnut trees growing throughout the grounds of the chateaus, as well as in parks. These large deciduous trees are easily identifiable by the brown shelled nut that is enclosed in spiky burs. I was especially interested because you rarely see chestnut trees in the United States. Why? Go here for a previous post with the answer.

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” are lyrics in The Christmas Song, a familiar holiday carol, but I’ve never roasted chestnuts. Go here to view full screen.

I was hoping to find chestnuts roasting at the Christmas Market in Washington D.C., but no luck. I did taste some chestnuts my daughter purchased at Whole Foods.