f there ever was a giving tree, the chestnut tree is it. Like the formidable oak tree, its tannin-rich wood provides durable, straight timber for carpenters building furniture, fences, and even ships. Those same tannins were used to hand-dye silks and leather. But where the chestnut proves most useful is in the kitchen. Encased in a prickly husk, the chestnut is one of the great jewels of the culinary world. Versatile and nutrient-rich, its mildly sweet meat has staved off famines and nourished generations of Europeans, Asians, Americans, and Arabs. In other words, wherever the chestnut has been cultivated, humanity has flourished. But why has this special tree nut endured as a sweet ingredient
