There is a long history of

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

cultivation and consumption in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, particularly in the southern regions. During the 20th century, chestnut has evolved from a

staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

to a popular

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

ingredient. The chestnut was introduced in

Ticino Ticino ( ), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino, is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eight districts ...

during the Roman era. Chestnut grove and coppice management replaced

slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...

agriculture. The climate of southern Switzerland particularly suited the chestnut, to the point it became known as the "bread tree". The chestnut was also introduced in the southern valleys of the

Grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...

and

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

. Chestnut cultivation declined in the 18th century, when

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es and

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

were introduced in Switzerland. It remained however an important staple food for the poors until the early 20th century; the Siegfried Map introduced a specific symbol for chestnut groves in 1914. The maintenance of chestnut groves ceased during the 20th century due to diseases and declined after the massive exploitation of wood for tannin factories. Since the 1990s, chestnut groves and chestnuts have been of interest to tourists and local communities started their revalorization. Today, 98% of Swiss chestnut trees are found on the south side of the Alps (Ticino and the Grisons), for instance in the Malcantone and

Val Bregaglia The Val Bregaglia (; , ; ) is an alpine valley of Switzerland and Italy at the base of which runs the river Mera ( Romansh and ). Most of the valley falls within the Swiss district of Maloja in the canton of the Grisons, the lower part within ...

. Chestnut groves are also found in Valais, particularly in

Fully Fully () is a municipality in the district of Martigny in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Fully is first mentioned in the 11th Century as ''Fuliacum''. Geography Fully has an area, , of . Of this area, 30.5% is used for agricultur ...

and

Saint-Gingolph Saint-Gingolph is a small town situated on the south bank of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). It sits at the France–Switzerland border and is administratively divided into Saint-Gingolph, Switzerland, Saint-Gingolph, Valais (Switzerland) and Saint-Gingol ...

, and various other locations around

Lake Lucerne Lake Lucerne (, literally 'Lake of the four Waldstätte, forested settlements' (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), , ) is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. Geography The lake has a compli ...

and the

Walensee Lake Walen, also known as Lake Walenstadt or (), is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland. Located in the east of the country, about two thirds of its area are in the canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the canton of Glarus. Its na ...

. The consumption of chestnuts today is essentially festive. Ticino restaurants and pastry chefs all over Switzerland also make

vermicelli Vermicelli (, ; , literally "little worms"), is a traditional type of pasta round in section similar to spaghetti. In Anglosphere, English-speaking regions it is usually thinner than spaghetti, while in Italy it is thicker. It is typically made ...

, an autumnal dessert consisting of a sweet chestnut purée and whipped cream.

References

{{Cuisine of Switzerland, state=collapsed Swiss cuisine Agriculture in Switzerland +