Castagnaccio

An ancient, naturally sweet flatcake of chestnut flour, water, and olive oil, scattered with pine nuts, raisins, walnuts, and whole rosemary needles, baked until the top cracks into a fine crackled crust: the autumn cake of the Tuscan and Ligurian mountains, where rosemary meets the sweetness of the chestnut

Origin: Tuscany and the Apennines, Italy

From the journey of Rosemary.

Castagnaccio is one of the oldest cakes of Italy, a humble, naturally sweet bake of the chestnut-growing Apennine mountains of Tuscany, Liguria, Emilia, and beyond, where chestnut flour was for centuries the bread-flour of the poor. It contains no added sugar, no eggs, and no wheat: its sweetness comes entirely from the chestnut flour, and its character from the things scattered over it, pine nuts, raisins, walnuts, and, surprisingly and wonderfully, whole needles of fresh rosemary. The resinous, savoury rosemary against the dense, earthy sweetness of the chestnut is the dish's defining and unmistakable note, a pairing that sounds unlikely and tastes inevitable. Dense, moist, and crackled on top, castagnaccio is an autumn and winter sweet, eaten with a glass of new wine or sweet ricotta.

Ingredients

Batter

300 g chestnut flour, sifted
450 ml water, at room temperature
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tin and top
0.25 tsp fine salt

Topping

50 g raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained
40 g pine nuts
40 g walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh rosemary needles

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan / 400°F). Generously oil a 24cm round or rectangular shallow tin.
Sift the chestnut flour into a bowl to remove lumps. Whisk in the water a little at a time to make a smooth, lump-free batter the consistency of single cream, then whisk in the olive oil and salt.
Stir half the raisins, half the pine nuts, and half the walnuts into the batter. Pour into the prepared tin.
Scatter the remaining raisins, pine nuts, and walnuts over the surface, then strew with the rosemary needles. Drizzle the top lightly with olive oil.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the surface is set, deep brown, and covered in the characteristic fine cracks, and the pine nuts are golden.
Cool in the tin. Serve at room temperature, cut into squares or wedges, on its own or with fresh ricotta and a glass of sweet or new wine.

Notes

The quality of the chestnut flour is everything: it should be fresh and finely milled, as it stales and turns bitter with age. There is no sugar in a traditional castagnaccio; all the sweetness comes from the chestnut flour and the raisins. Regional versions vary in their toppings, but the trinity of pine nuts, raisins, and rosemary is the classic Tuscan combination. It is naturally vegan and gluten-free.

The Gastrographer

Name: Castagnaccio
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 300 g chestnut flour, sifted; 450 ml water, at room temperature; 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tin and top; 0.25 tsp fine salt; 50 g raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained; 40 g pine nuts; 40 g walnuts, roughly chopped; 2 tbsp fresh rosemary needles

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control