Castagnaccio alla Toscana, Italian chestnut pie, is a recipe from Tuscany that is typical of that region as this rural area is rich in chestnut trees. It is not a difficult recipe and you do not have to look for chestnuts, the cake takes its name from the preparation with chestnut flour and is enriched with raisins, pine nuts, walnuts and rosemary. Chestnut flour can be found in the better health food stores and also at the Ekoplaza supermarkets in the big cities. The flour is made from sweet chestnuts that grow in Northern Italy and Southern France, it has a characteristic taste. Go into the kitchen!
Meal for the poor farmers
The history of the chestnut is closely linked to the region of Tuscany and in particular to the city of Siena. Castagnaccio was initially, like most traditional recipes, a meal for the poor farmers who could easily collect the fruits of the chestnut as the chestnut trees are well represented in the Tuscan natural landscape.
The chestnut cake has its origins in a very distant past, it is known from the writings of the church father and philosopher Augustine of Hippo who sat at the court of Milan in 384 that he greatly appreciated the chestnut cake. However, it took until about AD 800 before the Tuscan chestnut was planted in the rest of Italy and the dish was eaten in other places as well. In any case, it seems that the chestnut cake was also made by the Tuscan Pilade of Lucca, as the cake is mentioned in the book “Commentary of the Most Remarkable and Monstrous Things in Italy, and Other Places”. This edition was written by Hortensius Orlando and published in Venice in 1553.
Recipe for Castagnaccio alla Toscana, Italian chestnut pie
The Italian “donna moderna” of course makes the cake according to a recipe that has been further perfected over the years, although it is so simple that in all probability it differs little from the authentic cake of centuries ago!
Ingredients for the cake
- 750 ml of water
- 500 grams of chestnut flour
- 50 grams of granulated sugar
- 100 grams of walnuts
- 100 gr pine nuts
- 1 handful of fresh rosemary needles
- 80 gr raisins
- pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Chestnut flour is sometimes already sweetened, pay attention to that, if that is the case, you do not have to use the sugar of course!
Preparation of the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 200 ° Celsius,
- Soak the raisins in warm water,
- sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl to remove any lumps,
- add the sugar and a generous pinch of salt,
- little by little pour in the water while mixing with a whisk or mixer,
- keep beating until all the water has been added and a nice smooth batter has formed,
- pat the raisins dry, coarsely chop the walnuts and add them to the pine nuts,
- Keep a small part of these ingredients to cover the cake later,
- add the rest of the raisins, nuts and pine nuts to the batter,
- grease a shallow cake pan with a diameter of 40 cm with the olive oil,
- pour the batter mixture into the mold, it should reach a height of about a centimeter,
- sprinkle the chestnut cake with the reserved raisins, nuts and pine nuts,
- also sprinkle the fresh rosemary needles over it,
- then spiral over two tablespoons of oil,
- then bake your castagnaccio at 200 ° for 30 minutes until it has formed a nice crust.
You can serve the cake for dessert with some cherries and whipped cream, the taste of the cherries combines perfectly with the castagnaccio, you can also add a sprig of rosemary to garnish.