Chestnut Cake

There are chestnut forests in many regions of Italy, and this autumn fruit provides the raw material for sweet confections that have passed into international cuisine. Montebianco, for example, is a delicious treat made with boiled chestnuts put through a sieve and mixed with whipped cream. This castagnaccio, however, is made only in Tuscany, and is an example of the old unleavened cakes known as stiacciate, among the earliest foods consumed by humans. The castagnaccio is served in slices as a dessert or sometimes is cut into small squares and eaten at the end of the meal.