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“I come to bury Caesar, and some chestnut trees”

The Roman Empire is perhaps best known for colosseums, gladiators, and stoicism. What you might not know is the humble chestnut (Metaflora #303) also owes the Romans a big thank you for their role in cultivating them all over Central and Western Europe. Chestnuts have been cultivated as early as the first millennium BC, primarily for their rapid growth and hearty wood. Chestnuts were also an easy and cheap source of food, even being named the ‘bread of the poor’ in Switzerland.

In addition to chestnuts, the Romans are also credited with dispersing walnut trees all over their empire. Walnuts were used for food and wood production equally, while chestnuts were primarily grown for lumber. Both nuts became part of the diets of both indigenous people of the land as well as the Roman conquerors. Chestnuts were often ground into a flour and made into a porridge, or boiled, roasted or mashed. This made for cheap and convenient meals to feed soldiers of the Roman army. Chestnuts even helped people survive during famines, such as the Middle Age in Europe, and the Edo period in Japan.

Chestnut trees are high yield, and their fruits can be prepared in many ways. Chestnuts are rich in complex carbohydrates, providing lots of energy, fibre, and protein. The trees are adaptable to relatively poor conditions, and thrive in mild climates. It's no wonder the Romans wanted them everywhere.

The oldest chestnut tree is found in Mount Etna, Sicily, and is believed to be 2000-4000 years old. It is nicknamed the Hundred Horse Chestnut Tree, although it is a sweet chestnut tree (not a horse chestnut tree). The nickname originates from a legend of a queen of Aragon who supposedly sheltered under the tree with a band of one hundred knights and their horses during a thunderstorm.

So the next time someone asks what your Roman Empire is, consider the meteoric rise of the humble chestnut, an empire unto itself.

Answers to last week's games

Monday, July 29 to Sunday, Aug 4.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #168 neighbor → opponent → competition → performance

• #169 ethnic -> culture -> education -> learning

• #170 courage -> experience -> experienced -> used

• #171 sorry -> apologize -> stop -> start

• #172 definition -> terms -> agreements -> deal

• #173 move -> dance -> drink -> lemonade -> lemon

• #174 flow -> water -> drinks -> choices -> either -> nor

• #175 Play now!

Forgeous

Play Forgeous for Aug 5.

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