There are several markets in Toronto that sells variety of fruits and vegetables and it is very easy to find one just by searching on web. For my ‘Fruit Hunter’ assignment, I found a market named ‘bloor fruit market’. This market is situated at Manning Ave, Toronto, ON M6G 1K9 and is having walking distance of 3 minutes from Christie subway station (green line) and 7 minutes from Bathrust subway station (yellow line). The market opens every day from 9 am to 8 pm. The market has got a 4.7 rating from its customers, that means a majority of people were happy with the service or visiting the place.
The reason why I chose this market is because of its ambiance as well as the variety of fruits it have at its place were fantastic. I have visited many local markets but the best one that I found is this market.
While exploring the market for the first time, I was very keen to find a kind of fruit that I have never tasted or even never ever seen before and after a lot of patience I found a fruit, named ‘Italian chestnut’. I have never seen and tasted a chestnut before. A chestnut is a fruit with a nut containing high starch. It looked very appealing to me as compared to any other fruit.
The fruit was known as sardian nut when it was introduced to Europe by the sardians. Since around 2000 BC, the evidence of its man cultivation was found. It is known that Alexander the Great and Romans planted chestnut trees across Europe while on their various campaigns. Whole forest dwelling communities which had scarce access to wheat flour relied on chestnuts as their main source of carbohydrates, until the introduction of the potatoes.
Talking about the geographical location, it is native to eastern North America, but talking specifically about the Italian Chestnut, it is mainly cultivated in the provinces of Grosseto and Siena. During the dormant period, chestnuts need cold temperature to grow. It grows best in a soil with good drainage and adequate moisture. Other than soil it needs the full sun position. A minimum of 800 mm rainfall is recommended for its growth. The chestnut comes from the family of fagaceae, which also includes oaks and beeches. It is mainly grown in the mid-autumn season.
The price of the chestnuts per pound in the Bloor Fruit Market is $2.99
Sensory evaluation:- The aroma of chestnut comes after cooking it even it is fruit. It can also be eaten raw after peeling the fruit, but it can be somewhat astringent, especially if the pellicle is not removed. Its taste is quite similar as of a potato, it taste crunchy and bitter without cooking. Some people says that it also taste a little bit earthy.
If i was told to cook this fruit i could have prepared it by roasting, in which pealing is not required, but before roasting, it is required to score. After roasting it gives a taste of a baked potato with a flavor of sweet and nut. Following is the recipe of roasted chestnut:-
Recipe:-
- Score the chestnuts with the help of a paring knife.
- Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius
- soak the chestnuts in the water for 15 minutes and after 15 minutes keep aside and let dry.
- Place the chestnuts on a baking tray with a parchment paper.
- Let them roast for 15 minutes and check one of them and if not roasted properly give 5 more minutes.
- After roasting remove the skin and serve hot.
This fruit hunting experience was very special for me as i got to learn a plethora of things about a new fruit that i have never ever seen in my life and i have heard the name for the first time. I would definitely like to make the recipe given above and serve to all my friends as it sounds very delicious.
Citations:-
The information about the chestnut fruit:–https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut
Picture of chestnut ( picture no. 2)- https://www.google.com/search?q=chestnut+fruit&rlz=1C1CHBF_enIN851IN851&sxsrf=ALeKk02WpWpSbWx-T_GvOxDe4jYmFwwoFg:1585613660555&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=ihkf8gC7GwaPVM%253A%252CFkJAXXm_WU137M%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSxuniV9JVvp3WfDGK_meTjJh2Ibw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiiy_OXt8PoAhVhhuAKHT2RBkkQ_h0wA3oECA8QCA&biw=1242&bih=524#imgrc=ihkf8gC7GwaPVM:
picture of the chestnuts in the bloor fruit market (picture no.3):- https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x882b348da749012b%3A0x93f80ba3836111e0!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipN4LLbHlexareXCCJNq_tYiQTOH8Ia9wpjGezdV%3Dw312-h176-k-no!5sbloor%20fruit%20market%20-%20Google%20Search!15sCAQ&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipORxxBrHNP-j5hQJKDbGqhGB1O8krEq8qDRzm0R&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwid5uPow8PoAhVohuAKHTKtBigQoiowCnoECBAQBg
CHEF ON THE RUN 