"Hot and good! Hot and good chestnuts!" This calling is the unequivocal confirmation that Fall has officially arrived in Portugal.
In the usual street corners or next to the main bus stops or Metro exits, first you see the dense smoke, then you smell the chestnuts to finally discover the selle. In Portugal, the aroma of roasted chestnuts is inseparable from the yellow, brown and red leaves covering the ground.
The sellers operate from mobile stoves, hand pick the burning hot chestnuts while chanting "Hot and good! Hot and good chestnuts!" and serve them in newspaper cones, either half-dozen or a dozen.
This mobile cart is actually a variation of a tradition called "Magustos", a popular celebration where large groups of friends and relatives gather around a bonfire to roast chestnuts.
I suspect that chestnuts and wine conspired to match the same season.
Let me explain; the chestnut harvest coincides with the first wine of the year, the "new wine" (vinho novo). This "conspiracy" between chestnut and wine is so powerful as to interrupt autumn for a few days, bringing back the "Summer of St. Martin" on November 11.
While the legend of Saint Martin tells a different version, popular sayings leave no doubt: "On Saint Martin's Day, bread, chestnuts and wine!" Let not forget that it is precisely on November 11th that the tradition of opening the "Talha wines" for the first time takes place. Too many coincidences. I don't think so!
Portugal has four chestnut producing areas with "Denomination of Protected Origin" (DOP)
Chestnuts are widely used in fall/winter cooking in numerous recipes. They can also be boiled, frozen, mashed, and used as flour or in syrup.
And now, what is most interesting to EnoFragments "Which wine goes well with roasted chestnuts?"
Good question! After removing the shell, the amber or toasted yellow fruit is visible. We can feel notes of smoke and a slight caramelization, and in the flavor, a slightly crunchy texture on the outer layer contrasting with the tender pulp, which is subtly sweet, soft and with a slight aftertaste of sweet grass.
The ideal wine therefore should be velvety, youthful, good freshness is crucial but without excess or sharp acidity, the fruit must be delicate and all connected through a lightness in the body. Heavier and complex wines aren't a good match in this case.
To add value to our readers, we would like to offer a wide variety of pairings with chestnuts with sparkling wines, whites, rosés and reds, at three different price points; wines that are available in most Portuguese supermarkets, wines available in Portuguese wine stores, and wines for special occasions.
Manuel Moreira recommends:
Sparkling
White Wines
Roses
Red Wines
So, in total, you now have twelve different wines to pair with roasted chestnuts in the coming months. Please let us know which wines you have tried and what other Unusual Pairings you would like us to explore.
Comments