The Fragrance of Roasted Chestnuts

Cheng Naishan

Cheng Naishan isarepresentativefemale writerinShanghai.Hercreationsare mostly rooted in Shanghai， drawing on the uniquebackgroundofthe times，family stories，andlifesituationsanddelicately depicting the qualitiesof Shanghaiculture.

Every late autumn，some streetside shops set up giant pitch-black cast-iron woks filled withdark sand，which ensure even heating for the chestnuts during roasting Burly chefs wield large shovels， tirelesslystirringthemix-a backbreakingtaskthattakesa solidtwentytothirtyminutes before the chestnutsare roasted to perfection.True to itsname，\"sugarroasted chestnuts\"involve theuse ofgranulated sugar，whichnotonly lendsacaramelizedsweetness to the taste butalso prevents the chestnuts from sticking to the sand.Sugar-roasted chestnuts neednoadvertising;Theiraroma is promotion enough.The moment thechillyautumn wind carries their fragrance，your nose catches it，and your legsseem bewitched， carrying you toward the source. Holdinga steaming bag of sugarroasted chestnuts，walking home overacarpetoffallen leaveswhile imaginingthe cozy scene of sitting with family，peelingchestnuts，and chatting away-your heartswells with a soaring sense of happiness.

It'sashame that nowadays，with laborcosts rising，the bustling scene of chestnuts being freshly roastedandsoldinstoreshas becomerare，replacedinstead bymechanicaloperationsthat lack the warm，fragrantcharm of memory.lrememberascenefrom theTV seriesApril Rhapsody，where Lu Xiaoman，wrapped in a woolen shawl，bought a piping-hot bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts froma street vendorand popped one into her mouth just as a yellow leaf drifted down.That tiny moment， so fleeting，has stayed with me all these years.

Chestnuts can be enjoyed in many ways.Backwhen osmanthus flowersfilledtheairwith their fragrance，my family would often make Chestnut Soup with Osmanthus Blossoms.The dish was delicious，subtlysweet，andnever cloying.Butpeelingrawchestnuts was quitea chore.First，we had to soakthe chestnut kernelsin warm water，then painstakingly remove the thin innerskin，makingsure to clean them thoroughly- any remnantswouldleaveabitter aftertaste.The cooking process， however，wassimple：simmerthem inwateruntil tender，add some brown sugar，and finally，sprinkle sugar-infused osmanthusblossoms forfragrance.Theresultwasa warm，sweet，and velvetytreat.

Later，l came acrossa passage in Liang Shiqiu's Yashe Tanchi （A Cottager's View on Eating）：

\"The osmanthus flowers at Wengjiashan，beneaththeYanxia Ridge of Hangzhou's West Lake， arerenowned，particularly those in Manjialong.Not only are the blossomsexceptionallyfragrant， but they bloom right when the chestnutsripen.Thus，chestnut soup with osmanthus blossoms becameasupremedelicacyin the roadside stalls there\"Only thendid l realizethissweet dish originated in Hangzhou.

In fact，Xu Zhimo's poem Lifeis NotEasyis，infact，alsotiedto osmanthusandchestnuts.Itturns out that every autumn，Xu Zhimo would make a trip to Hangzhou's Wengjiashan to savor a bowl of Chestnut Soup with Osmanthus Blossoms. One year，however，a heavy rainstorm stripped nearly all the osmanthusblossoms from the trees.Deeply struck by the impermanenceof life，hewas moved to write thisvery poem.

Chestnut Chicken isa staple onShanghainesedining tables. According to my mother-in-law， the trickiest part of cooking thisdish lies in simmering the chestnuts until they're tender but stillintact-that'swherethereal skill comesin.The secretis to soakthechestnutsinoilfirst;That way，theywon't fallapartwhen braised.Ofcourse，itiseasiersaid thandone！Then thereis Eight Treasure Duck，a dish symbolizing abundance，fortune，and family reunion，often takingcenterstage duringthe Mid-Autumn Festivalor Chinese New Year feasts.Though packed with glutinousrice，shiitake mushrooms，ham，lotus seeds，and more，theabsenceof chestnuts wouldmeanmissingout on their uniquely soft， creamy sweetness - atrue loss for the dish.

TheShanghainese have another enduring obsession when it comes to chestnuts-chestnut cake.

Takethememorablescenefrom Chapter37of A Dream of Red Mansions：XirenasksMamma Song to send two gift boxes to Shi Xiangyun，one brimming with fresh fruit，the other containing osmanthus-scentedsteamed chestnutcakes.lthinkthisis China's original chestnut cake.

Manyso-called\"Western-style\" pastries in Haipai （Shanghaistyle） culinarytraditionaren't direct imports from France or Italy.Rather，theyrepresent theingenuity of Shanghainese pastry chefswhoadapted local ingredients to suit native palates while incorporating Western techniques.Theiconicchestnut cakeperfectlyexemplifiesthis culturalfusion.ltusedto bethe signature product ofKAlSILING CAKE.

KAISILING CAKE Was jointly established bythree Western-style culinary entrepreneurs，including LingA-mao，a former pastrychef from Tianjin'sKIESSLING.While Tianjin's Liangxiang district was renowned for itschestnuts，it neverproduced chestnut cakes. When LingA-maoarrivedin Shanghai，a flash of culinary inspiration led himto create the deliciouschestnut cake，which became KAISILING's signature product.Since chestnuts could be made into chestnut paste，the cake became available yearround.Ling's son inherited his father'sauthenticrecipe，ensuring the continuation of this flagship product at KAISILING.Fortunately， with hisapprentices stillaround， we could still enjoy the authentic chestnutcake in theearly1980s.

Whatconstitutesanauthentic chestnutcake？ltcontainsno wheat flour whatsoever in its body. Theentire dome-shaped structure is built solely with chestnut puree， resting only upon a thin layer of hard base baked with six-grain flour （corn flour）.The chestnut mound isthenadornedwith intricate whipped cream piping cascading like ribbons from top to bottom，crowned witha brightred cherry at its peak.Theabsence of flourmakes thechestnut structure inherently unstable.That’s why these cakes can never be large， neverexceedingfive inches in diameter.Moreover，themoment the cake is sliced，its perfect form collapses irrevocably. Only culinaryamateurs would mock Shanghainese for“being stingy enough to buy such small cakes'

Unfortunately，what passes for a chestnut cake today is merely chestnut paste cake.The entire cakebodyismadeof flour， with chestnut paste piped on like ordinary frosting，and its appearanceisnodifferent from othercakes.Moreover，theoriginal dome-shaped chestnutcake is rarely seen nowadays- most are simply packed in plastic containers and eatenwith a spoon like ice cream，losingallitselegance. Thisonly proves the bakers lack sufficient skill，resortingtosuch methods for fear the cake might collapse.

Chestnuts can be enjoyed in countlessways，fromtheWesternstylechestnut cake to rustic dishes likebraised chicken with chestnutsand braised porkwith chestnuts. However you prefer them，therearecountlessreasons to love Shanghai，and one of them isthearomatic scent of roasted chestnuts that fills the air every autumnand winter！This cityhas such charm.The simple chestnuts， touchedby Shanghai'scoastal breeze，blossom into something extraordinary.