Tips for roasting chestnuts at home this Castañada

Halloween celebrations are very popular nowadays, but fortunately there are still many of us who prefer a good coat in front of a bonfire, warming our hands with a handful of hot chestnuts and a good glass of muscatel in good company. No tricks and no treats.

While I am aware that times change and the way we approach certain celebrations adapts to the more modern world, I believe we cannot let slip what has always been the queen of autumn celebrations: magosto in some areas, castañada in others, or amagüestu or chaquetía are other beautiful names given to this lovely tradition, especially common along the entire northern strip.

Many of these celebrations have their roots in the harvest of chestnuts: in the past they were very prized, since they were the staple of the population's food, both as fresh fruit and dried and ground (in the form of flour). At the end of October and beginning of November their harvest was celebrated, with a party around the fire, with music, dancing and wine. With the arrival of corn and potatoes from America, the chestnut lost relevance, and the festivals changed depending on the area, while preserving certain similarities such as the fire and well-roasted chestnuts.

To do my bit so this celebration regains the strength it deserves, today I will tell you about what I know best, the castañada, and about how to roast chestnuts at home, because it is a true pleasure to enjoy them all autumn and part of the winter!

History of the castañada

The Castañada is celebrated in Catalonia and Aragon on All Saints' Day, November 1st. It is said that this tradition comes from the fact that the bell-ringers rang the bells from sunset in the late afternoon until dawn. Thus, they reminded the whole population to pray for the deceased.

But that task was arduous and they ended up exhausted, and to regain strength they ate chestnuts, since it is a very energetic fruit, and they accompanied it with muscatel or sweet wine.

That tradition became so popular in the 18th century that vendors took the opportunity to sell well-roasted chestnuts, and thus the figure of "la castañera" appeared, about whom several songs have been made that children still sing throughout the autumn.

For all these reasons today it is typical to eat chestnuts and muscatel on the Day of the Dead. In many villages a bonfire is prepared and chestnuts are roasted, which are also accompanied by panellets and sweet potatoes. The castañera also appears in the square, having come down from the mountain to tell a story to the village children, who gather around her and listen attentively.

In the cities the castañada may not be celebrated in the most traditional way, but you do find many places on the street where there is a chestnut-roasting stall, which fills up especially that day. And the castañera also makes an appearance in schools, handing out chestnuts and panellets to the little ones, who listen to stories and sing songs.

How to roast chestnuts at home

While I encourage you to go out and celebrate the castañada by a bonfire on the night of October 31st, I also invite you to roast chestnuts at home whenever you fancy. It is not complicated at all and is always a hit at home.

Really, roasting chestnuts is the easiest thing in the world, you just have to:

1. With a very sharp knife* make a transverse cut or a cross-shaped cut in all the chestnuts (to prevent them from exploding when roasting).
2. Place the chestnuts in a chestnut-roasting pan. No water, no oil, no... you don't have to add anything else but the chestnuts.
3. Keep moving the pan or stir the chestnuts with a spatula, so the chestnuts roast on all sides.
4. When the chestnuts are well toasted, remove them from the heat and leave them wrapped in a cloth or in newspaper.

After a few minutes you can peel them and enjoy.

De Buyer chestnut-roasting pan

*It is very curious and relevant that the knife for chestnuts and garlic comes to us from France: the Opinel for chestnuts, coming from France, reveals the tradition and customary use of this nut. It has a super sharp point to easily penetrate the chestnut shell and make that necessary cut.

If you don't yet have your chestnut-roasting pan, I invite you to try De Buyer’s. It's fantastic because it can be used on all heat sources (gas, ceramic, induction, barbecue or in the fireplace) and it has a thickness like no other, distributing heat very well and making it clear that it will last you a lifetime.

The good thing about chestnut pans is that, since you don't need to add any liquid seasoning and chestnuts are also a dry food, you never have to wash the pan (just wipe with a paper towel to remove any skin residue). I do recommend, however, to store it wrapped in newspaper, in a cloth or in a bag, so it doesn't leave black dust in the cupboard or dirty the rest of the pans. It's the only precaution you should take.