December 10: Dried Chestnut Festival in the Courel Mountains (Galicia)

Photo: Alberto López - La Voz de Galicia

  For the last thirteen years the village of Froxán celebrates the Festa da Pisa da Castaña, an ethnographic and gastronomic festival which recreates the ancient method of preparation of dried chestnuts used for centuries in the Serra do Courel, a mountain range in the east of Galicia.
  First, the chestnuts are dried with wood smoke in a stone building called sequeiro (drying place). The dried chestnuts are then stored in a bag and beaten against a log. Finally, the chestnuts are shaked in a kind of winnowing basket called bandoxo in order to detach the skins. You can see the whole process in this video.
  European chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) are very important in the traditional culture of the Serra do Courel. In these mountains are some of  the largest and oldest chestnut forests of Galicia, which are otherwise characterized by high biodiversity. Chestnuts are a main ingredient in local cuisine and chestnut wood is widely used in construction and craftmanship. The region has several small companies that manufacture and sell dried chestnuts,  chestnut jams and chestnut cakes.  
  The Serra do Courel is also the homeland of the great Galician language poet Uxío Novoneyra, whose literary work is largely inspired by the landscapes and traditions of this region.

From: La Voz de Galicia, Fonte do Milagro Cultural Association