A typical autumn dish, Castagnaccio is a real pleasure for the palate! Available in different variations, this dessert is an absolute must-try. How is it prepared? What is its history? Here is all the information.

Where does Castagnaccio come from?

As mentioned earlier, Castagnaccio is a dish that is prepared mainly in autumn but not only. It is made with chestnut flour, pine nuts , raisins and even rosemary. It was born as a poor dish, probably of peasant origin and the first traces of this dessert date back to 1500. It seems to have been conceived and created by a certain Pilade from Lucca; from 1800 onwards, it was also enriched with raisins and pine nuts and slowly spread throughout Italy. Castagnaccio is a typical dessert of Liguria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna and Piedmont and varies depending on the geographical area.

Initially there were two versions of this delicious “bread”: one was characterized by the use of a large pan, the other was made up of small, very thin “rounds”, cooked quickly. Both variants came from Altopascio, Fucecchio and other places in the Siena area. Pine nuts and raisins were added later to make the dessert even tastier. A legend says that the small rosemary leaves present in the Castagnaccio act as a love potion and, thus, the young man who receives the cake from the girl will fall madly in love with her.

This kind of cake born from the poor tradition was also called wooden bread or bread of the poor, precisely because of the simplicity of the ingredients and the procedure to make it. The original recipe, in fact, was really simple: chestnut flour, water, oil and rosemary. Obviously the result does not provide a high and soft focaccia but a low and quite moist focaccia with a delicate flavor. This dish can then be combined with sweet creams but also with savory (try it with cold cuts and cheeses when it is still warm). Few ingredients for a truly top dish!

How to prepare castagnaccio with Federico's recipe

Here is Maria's recipe for making Castagnaccio, here are the ingredients:

• 300 g of chestnut flour

• 380 gr of cold water

• 4 tablespoons of sugar

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 40 g of raisins

• pine nuts 40 gr

• 40 g of walnut kernels

• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 pinch of salt

Procedure

Start preparing the castagnaccio by soaking the raisins in cold water and toasting the pine nuts in a non-stick pan. In a bowl, sift the chestnut flour and add a pinch of salt, sugar, 2 tablespoons of oil and water.

The water should be added slowly, a little at a time, continuing to mix with a whisk to avoid lumps. You should obtain a fluid but not excessively liquid mixture. Add half of the squeezed raisins, pine nuts and walnuts. Mix well.

Grease a 26 cm diameter round baking pan with oil, pour in the mixture and garnish the surface with the remaining walnuts, pine nuts and raisins and the rosemary needles. Finish with a drizzle of oil and bake in a preheated oven at 180° for 35 minutes, until small cracks have formed on the surface.

Remove the castagnaccio from the oven and let it cool before serving.