The fruit of winter!
Look out for a street chestnut vendor on your next stroll, and you’ll surely get a true taste of the Greek winter!
One of the most familiar and beloved images of the Greek winter, an image that has inspired painters, writers, and songwriters alike, is that of the chestnut seller standing on street corners with a portable brazier cart, the famous foufou, roasting chestnuts and offering them hot and well-roasted.
Really, who could resist the aroma of freshly roasted chestnuts drifting through the air, inviting us to pause for a brief, indulgent treat, without much guilt? After all, the chestnut, this precious gift of Greek nature, is a highly nutritious and wholesome food, with a wonderful flavour that satisfies your hunger and warms your heart.
Recipes with the aroma of winter…
You can enjoy chestnuts on their own—roasted, boiled, or baked—or use them to add a unique depth of colour and aroma to your culinary creations, as they elevate both sweet and savoury dishes with their velvety, rich flavour. Although they pair wonderfully with pork and poultry, in traditional Greek cuisine they are more closely associated with pastry-making. Enjoy them as a spoon sweet, a jam, or a spread—and you’ll certainly love them in tsoureki, vasilopita, and sweet breads!
Chestnut Festivals!
“Chestnuts call for wine, walnuts for honey, and a girl for kisses morning and noon.”
Chestnuts are produced all across Greece, from the forests of Macedonia to the mountains of Crete, and the new harvest is celebrated in many regions. Join the locals in the country’s mountain villages and take part in these festive gatherings, where you can savour this treasured fruit of winter along with tsipouro or wine!
Peloponnese
In the Peloponnese, chestnuts take centre stage in the final days of Octobre! In the picturesque village of Kastanitsa, built on the eastern slopes of Mount Parnonas, you’ll not only enjoy chestnut-based delicacies but also taste mountain tea, fasolada (traditional bean soup), boiled goat, wine, and tsipouro. The festival features a variety of events, including traditional music and dance, a cooking competition, and chestnut races (spoon races with chestnuts!) for the younger friends of chestnut.
In the nearby village of Arna in Laconia, you can enjoy chestnuts roasted, boiled, or prepared in sweets, accompanied by local tsipouro. Beyond chestnuts, we recommend filling your suitcase with walnuts, pomegranates, quinces, and aromatic herbs from the surrounding mountains. You’ll find them at the open-air market set up in the central square during the festival.
Chestnuts are also celebrated in the small village of Ampeliona in Messinia. Savour roasted chestnuts, traditional bean soup, and tsipouro beside the “Trani Vrysi,” the imposing stone fountain in the village square, and take a walk through the nearby chestnut forest. A 4-kilometer route—on foot or by car—through the dense woodland awaits you!
On the Greek islands!
A chestnut festival on an island? And yet—it’s true! The picturesque village of Agiasos on Lesvos is famous for its beautiful chestnut grove and celebrates the arrival of the new harvest every Novembre. Stroll along the paths of the grove, gather chestnuts yourself, enjoy theatrical and musical performances, and fill your suitcase with cheeses, herbs, and sweets from the Agiasos Women’s Agricultural Cooperative and other local producers.
If you happen to be on Crete in late Octobre or early Novembre, don’t miss a visit to the villages of Elos and Prase near Chania. There, you’ll have the chance to taste oven-baked chestnuts alongside traditional roasted ones, as well as spoon sweets made from this beloved fruit.
In the rest of Greece
Chestnuts and tsipouro await you in Ano Chora of Mountainous Nafpaktia in early Octobre. Traditional foufou braziers and distillation cauldrons are set up from early morning on the village’s stone-paved square, ready to welcome visitors. In the afternoon, the local housewives treat guests to homemade pies and sweets such as pancakes, loukoumades, baklava, revani, kourabiedes, and spoon sweets.
Chestnuts are also celebrated in the village of Mavrylo, on the eastern slopes of Mount Velouchi, in late Octobre. Enjoy chestnuts along with local pies and tsipouro under the shade of centuries-old plane trees, and visit the restored gunpowder mill at the entrance of the village.
The Chestnut and Tsipouro Festival is also held every year in Rodavgi, in the region of Arta. Enjoy roasted or boiled chestnuts along with fragrant tsipouro made from zambela (a local grape variety), set against the stunning backdrop of the Pindus mountains and the artificial lake of the Arachthos River.
Just a breath away from Thessaloniki, in the area of Livadi in Thermi, a chestnut festival takes place in the central square beneath a centuries-old plane tree. Wander along the paths of the beautiful chestnut forest and take in the magnificent views over the Anthemountas valley and the Thermaic Gulf.
Tip: Have you heard the phrase “to pull the chestnuts out of the fire”? It symbolizes courage and boldness!
Look out for a street chestnut vendor on your next stroll, and you’ll surely get a true taste of the Greek winter!
One of the most familiar and beloved images of the Greek winter, an image that has inspired painters, writers, and songwriters alike, is that of the chestnut seller standing on street corners with a portable brazier cart, the famous foufou, roasting chestnuts and offering them hot and well-roasted.
Really, who could resist the aroma of freshly roasted chestnuts drifting through the air, inviting us to pause for a brief, indulgent treat, without much guilt? After all, the chestnut, this precious gift of Greek nature, is a highly nutritious and wholesome food, with a wonderful flavour that satisfies your hunger and warms your heart.
Recipes with the aroma of winter…
You can enjoy chestnuts on their own—roasted, boiled, or baked—or use them to add a unique depth of colour and aroma to your culinary creations, as they elevate both sweet and savoury dishes with their velvety, rich flavour. Although they pair wonderfully with pork and poultry, in traditional Greek cuisine they are more closely associated with pastry-making. Enjoy them as a spoon sweet, a jam, or a spread—and you’ll certainly love them in tsoureki, vasilopita, and sweet breads!
Chestnut Festivals!
“Chestnuts call for wine, walnuts for honey, and a girl for kisses morning and noon.”
Chestnuts are produced all across Greece, from the forests of Macedonia to the mountains of Crete, and the new harvest is celebrated in many regions. Join the locals in the country’s mountain villages and take part in these festive gatherings, where you can savour this treasured fruit of winter along with tsipouro or wine!
Peloponnese
In the Peloponnese, chestnuts take centre stage in the final days of Octobre! In the picturesque village of Kastanitsa, built on the eastern slopes of Mount Parnonas, you’ll not only enjoy chestnut-based delicacies but also taste mountain tea, fasolada (traditional bean soup), boiled goat, wine, and tsipouro. The festival features a variety of events, including traditional music and dance, a cooking competition, and chestnut races (spoon races with chestnuts!) for the younger friends of chestnut.
In the nearby village of Arna in Laconia, you can enjoy chestnuts roasted, boiled, or prepared in sweets, accompanied by local tsipouro. Beyond chestnuts, we recommend filling your suitcase with walnuts, pomegranates, quinces, and aromatic herbs from the surrounding mountains. You’ll find them at the open-air market set up in the central square during the festival.
Chestnuts are also celebrated in the small village of Ampeliona in Messinia. Savour roasted chestnuts, traditional bean soup, and tsipouro beside the “Trani Vrysi,” the imposing stone fountain in the village square, and take a walk through the nearby chestnut forest. A 4-kilometer route—on foot or by car—through the dense woodland awaits you!
On the Greek islands!
A chestnut festival on an island? And yet—it’s true! The picturesque village of Agiasos on Lesvos is famous for its beautiful chestnut grove and celebrates the arrival of the new harvest every Novembre. Stroll along the paths of the grove, gather chestnuts yourself, enjoy theatrical and musical performances, and fill your suitcase with cheeses, herbs, and sweets from the Agiasos Women’s Agricultural Cooperative and other local producers.
If you happen to be on Crete in late Octobre or early Novembre, don’t miss a visit to the villages of Elos and Prase near Chania. There, you’ll have the chance to taste oven-baked chestnuts alongside traditional roasted ones, as well as spoon sweets made from this beloved fruit.
In the rest of Greece
Chestnuts and tsipouro await you in Ano Chora of Mountainous Nafpaktia in early Octobre. Traditional foufou braziers and distillation cauldrons are set up from early morning on the village’s stone-paved square, ready to welcome visitors. In the afternoon, the local housewives treat guests to homemade pies and sweets such as pancakes, loukoumades, baklava, revani, kourabiedes, and spoon sweets.
Chestnuts are also celebrated in the village of Mavrylo, on the eastern slopes of Mount Velouchi, in late Octobre. Enjoy chestnuts along with local pies and tsipouro under the shade of centuries-old plane trees, and visit the restored gunpowder mill at the entrance of the village.
The Chestnut and Tsipouro Festival is also held every year in Rodavgi, in the region of Arta. Enjoy roasted or boiled chestnuts along with fragrant tsipouro made from zambela (a local grape variety), set against the stunning backdrop of the Pindus mountains and the artificial lake of the Arachthos River.
Just a breath away from Thessaloniki, in the area of Livadi in Thermi, a chestnut festival takes place in the central square beneath a centuries-old plane tree. Wander along the paths of the beautiful chestnut forest and take in the magnificent views over the Anthemountas valley and the Thermaic Gulf.
Tip: Have you heard the phrase “to pull the chestnuts out of the fire”? It symbolizes courage and boldness!
