San Zeno Chestnuts and Wine: Promoting Local Chestnut Tradition
San Zeno chestnuts and Baldo chestnuts take center stage at the table this autumn in Baldense. The fourth edition of “San Zeno Chestnuts and Wine” kicked off on Friday and will run until November 25th. This gastronomic event was conceived by the association I Ghiottoni and Slow Food del Garda Veronese, with the sponsorship of the Comune di San Zeno di Montagna.
Promotion of the Marrone di San Zeno
“This is now a well-established event,” says the mayor of San Zeno, Cipriano Castellani, “aimed at promoting, through local cuisine, our typical Marrone di San Zeno, whose recognition of the protected designation of origin (DOP) is now under review by European authorities in Brussels. The next year’s harvest will very likely be marketed with the DOP label.”
Four restaurants in San Zeno are participating in the initiative: Costabella, Giardinetto, Taverna Kus, and Casa degli Spiriti. At preferential prices, with menu options adapted to all budgets (ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 lire), all four establishments offer tasting menus based on marroni and chestnuts paired with Garda wines: until November 5th, Garda Corvina will be featured; from November 6th, Bardolino Novello I Soli, both produced by Casa Lamberti.
Traditional and Innovative Dishes
Alongside classic dishes, such as the traditional marroni minestrone, the chefs have crafted innovative ideas like pork fillets with marroni and Reinette apples, spelt with sausage and marroni, roasted duck breast with chestnuts, and pigeons stuffed with foie gras and chestnuts served with savoy cabbage and roasted potatoes. Naturally, the mountain’s sweet fruit is also interpreted freely in desserts: marron mousse with gianduja sauce, marron tiramisu, warm chestnut cannoli, and other delicious recipes.
“Year after year,” comments the mayor, “the event has grown, demonstrating the versatility of our chefs and the absolute reliability of the raw materials, which continually inspire new gastronomic discoveries. The success of the past three editions and the high number of reservations already received by the participating restaurants lead us to believe that many food enthusiasts will once again choose to spend an evening in our venues enjoying marroni-based dishes.”
Success and Cooperation
Indeed, the first three editions of “San Zeno Chestnuts and Wine” were truly successful: last year, the event attracted gourmets from all over the Garda provinces, as well as from Milan, Bergamo, and Bolzano. “This fourth edition,” concludes Mayor Castellani, “is further supported by the sponsorship of the Associazione Nazionale Città del Castagno, to which the Comune di San Zeno has also adhered, with the aim of further promoting our chestnut tradition and the work of those who care passionately for our centuries-old chestnut groves.”
