Shaanxi Chestnuts

Last updated 2026-11-10 — Belonging to the genus Castanea in the family Fagaceae, it is one of the main cultivated varieties among the world’s more than ten edible chestnut species, and is also the earliest economically utilized tree crop in China. Excavations at the Banpo site in Xi’an have uncovered large quantities of chestnut remnants, indicating that as early as 6,000 years ago, our ancestors began consuming chestnuts. In 1951, the Nanjing Museum discovered at the Hushu cultural site chestnuts used for copper smelting and pottery firing dating back 3,600 years. Ancient texts such as the Book of Songs and the Analects of Confucius frequently mention chestnuts, including the statement “In Yan and Qin, a thousand trees of chestnuts… made their owners as prosperous as lords of a thousand households,” which clearly illustrates the significant role of chestnuts in the ancient economy. Tang Dynasty physician Sun Simiao said, “The chestnut is the fruit of the kidney—those with kidney ailments should eat it.” A Tang poem reads: “In old age, one suffers increasingly from back and leg pain; yet the mountain elder revives with the old chestnut remedy.” Chestnuts are rich in nutrients such as starch, fat, protein, vitamins, and more. The straight-chain starch in their starch content far surpasses that of rice and wheat. Particularly notable is the substance glucose-glucoside 3, which has significant benefits for strengthening the stomach and kidneys, making it an ideal tonic for the elderly and children. Laboratory analysis shows that the flesh contains 37.61%–42.23% starch, 30.48%–33% soluble sugar, and 6.13%–10.0% protein. It also includes 0.37%–0.52% nitrate nitrogen, 0.04%–0.12% phosphorus, along with essential mineral elements for the human body such as calcium, magnesium, boron, zinc, manganese, and iron. Most chestnut production is located in mountainous regions with minimal environmental pollution, making it an ideal green health food.