Nat King Cole crooning that first line from “The Christmas Song” sends holiday vibes buzzing wherever you are. But have you smelled, tasted or even seen a freshly roasted chestnut? Until a few years ago, I hadn’t either. And I’m not alone.
My fascination with chestnuts started with Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Overstory,” which begins with the tragic tale of the American chestnut tree. In the eastern portion of America, chestnut trees grew in cities, on mountainsides and on plains. Billions of chestnut trees occupied a critical role in the ecosystem, economy and culinary traditions of the region.
Chestnut timber was used to build fences, homes and furniture. Chestnut roasting vendors set up on street corners, and customers savored their sweet flavor throughout the festive season and beyond. Then it all changed.
In the late 1800s, a virulent chestnut blight reached American shores, and by 1940, it killed an estimated 4 billion trees, virtually wiping them off the continent. Only a handful of uninfected trees remained. This blight changed the makeup of woodlands — and holiday habits — forever.
The aroma of roasted chestnuts all but vanished from domestic street corners. But chestnuts didn’t disappear. While the American species suffered, various types of chestnut trees grew across Europe and Asia, where people continued to relish them.
Some American farmers still grew blight-resistant European and Asian varieties, and we began to import .
