CHAP. CV.

COHYLA'cEAi. CASTa'kEA.

1995

especially to those who are subject to the cholick. The best way to preservethem is to keep them in earthern vessels in a cold place. Some lay them ina smoak-ioft, others in dry barley straw, others in sand, &c.” {Hunt. EveL,vol. i. p. 163.)

The principal countries where the chestnut is employed as an importantarticle of food are, the south of France and the north of Italy ; where it serves,in a great measure, as a substitute for both the bread and potatoes of morenorthern nations. In these countries, it becomes a matter of importance topreserve the chestnuts during winter; and, accordingly, great care is taken ingathering, keeping, and drying them, so as to insure a constant supply.When the chestnuts are ripe, those that are to be preserved are collected everyday from the ground on which they have fallen from the tree; and spread outin a dry airy place, till the whole is gathered together. But, as it is often aconsiderable time before the chestnuts are all ripe enough to fall from the tree,if the season be so far advanced as to be in danger of snow or heavy rains,after the fallen chestnuts have been collected and set on one side for drying,the tree is beaten with long poles, to knock off the remaining fruit. Thisoperation is called gauler les chataignes. But the fruit thus collected is only con-sidered fit for immediate use; and the greater part of it is carried to the localmarket, or sent to Paris . The husks of the chestnuts beaten off the treesbeing generally attached to the nuts, they are trodden off by peasants furnishedwith heavy sabots, when the nuts are wanted for immediate use ; but, when thechestnuts are to be preserved a few months, they are generally kept in theirhusks in heaps in the open air, or in barrels of sand, which are sometimesactually sprinkled with water in very dry seasons, in order to preserve the fulland plump appearance of the nuts.

One of the modes of drying chestnuts, in order to preserve them for severalyears, is, to place those which have been collected from the ground on coarseriddles, sieves, or hurdles, in a dry airy place, and afterwards to expose themto the sun ; or to boil them for a quarter of an hour, and then dry them in anoven. In Limousin and Perigord , where the chestnut flour is used for makingthe kind of cake called la galette, and the thick porridge called la polenta, whichare the common food of the peasantry, the chestnuts are dried with smoke.A thin layer of nuts, which have been deprived of their outer husks, is laid ona kind of kiln pierced with holes; and a fire is made below with the husks, andpart of the wood of the tree, which is only permitted to smoulder, and is notsuffered to burst into a flame. In a short time, the chestnuts begin to sweat;that is, their superabundant moisture oozes out through their skins. The fireis then immediately extinguished, and the chestnuts are suffered to becomequite cold. They are then thrown on one side, and a fresh layer is spread out,and subjected to the same process. When a sufficient quantity of chestnutsis thus prepared, to cover the floor of the kiln at least 1 ft. deep, they arelaid upon it, and a gentle fire is made below, which is gradually augmentedduring 2 or 3 days, and is then continued during 9 or 10 days, the chest-nuts being regularly turned, like malt, till the nuts part readily from theirskins : they are then put into sacks, which have been previously wet, andthrashed with sticks, or rubbed upon a large bench or table; after which, theyare winnowed, and are then ready for the mill. During the process of drying,the fire is watched night and day; and the under side of the floor of the kiln(or hurdles, if these have been used as a substitute for a paved floor) mustbe frequently swept, to clear it from the soot. The dust which escapes fromthe chestnuts, when they are winnowed, together with the broken nuts, arecarefully preserved for feeding cattle, and are called in France biscat.

The most general modes of cooking chestnuts in France are, boiling themin water, either simply, with a little salt, or with leaves of celery, sage, or anyherbs that may be approved of, to give them a flavour; and roasting them,either in hot ashes, or in a coffee-roaster. They are also occasionally roastedbefore the fire, or on a shovel, as in England; but, when thus prepared, theyare thought not so good. In whatever way the chestnuts are roasted, the