Edible Chestnuts over a campfire.
Roasted chestnuts in 2 ways over an open fire.

One of autumn’s delicious (free) delicacies, in our opinion, is edible chestnuts, or true chestnuts as they are also called, and they are perfect to prepare over a campfire, genuine 'wilderness food' that you can easily forage here in Denmark in the fall.

Edible chestnuts are a delicacy; they are soft and delicious when cooked, with a lovely nutty and natural flavor – in a good way!

If you don’t feel like finding them yourself, you can buy edible chestnuts in almost all well-stocked supermarkets in the fall, though they are probably not harvested here in Denmark, but for example in France, but they still taste wonderful.

Unfortunately, I don’t come across edible chestnuts very often in the forest, but you often find them in parks, cemeteries, at public institutions, and similar places. If it’s right next to a busy road, look elsewhere, and you can give them a wash before preparing them over the fire.

I am lucky that my father has a huge old edible chestnut tree in his garden, and there is more than enough for everyone.

How do I tell the difference between edible chestnuts and horse chestnuts?

You can tell edible chestnuts from horse chestnuts by the number of spines.
On edible chestnuts, the spines are very close together, they are long, and there are MANY of them; on horse chestnuts (the ones you can make chestnut animals from), they are much more spread out and shorter.
Horse chestnuts CANNOT be eaten; only true chestnuts / edible chestnuts can be prepared. Note that people and animals who are allergic to nuts most likely cannot tolerate edible chestnuts either.

For all of us others, they are definitely worth biting into, and they are incredibly easy to prepare over an open fire, plus they taste heavenly!


Here you get 2 recipes/preparation methods for edible chestnuts over a campfire.

Dry-roasted edible chestnuts over a campfire.



Here you should use a campfire pot or pan, preferably cast iron.

Eating chestnuts.
1 knife to cut a cross in the top.
Salt and butter for serving.

This campfire should burn down to embers before you start, and the heat should not be too intense.
You can place your pan or pot directly in the embers, but it’s easiest if you have a campfire grill to put the pan on, so you can better control the heat.

Prepare your edible chestnuts by removing the few ‘hairs’ at the top of the chestnut and cut a cross in the top.
It is important to remember to cut a cross in the chestnut, otherwise it will burst during cooking.

Place the pan or pot over the embers when you have the desired number of prepared edible chestnuts ready in the pan.
Roast the edible chestnuts over low heat for about 20 minutes, turning them regularly in the pan.
When the edible chestnuts have taken on some color and have opened up, they are ready.

Before serving, peel the shell off the hot chestnuts and remove as much as you can of the thin skin around the chestnut, as it can be a bit bitter.

Enjoy the hot edible chestnuts with cold butter and salt on top.
They also go well with a glass of red wine, a good beer, or apple cider.

Peeled edible chestnuts - roasted in butter and salt.

Here you will need a campfire pot or pan.
Eating chestnuts.
1 knife.
Salt and butter for cooking.

Again, your fire should preferably burn down to embers before you start, and the heat should not be too intense.
Your chestnuts will definitely take on color, but you want them hot and cooked all the way through, so use lower heat and cook longer.
If you peel your edible chestnuts before cooking them over the fire, they will need less time. Depending on the heat under the pan, they should take about 10 - 15 minutes.
You can definitely place your campfire pot or cast iron pan directly in the embers, but it’s a bit easier to manage if you have it on a campfire grill.

When the chestnuts are prepared this way, they are ready to eat immediately and do not need further peeling.

Serve them optionally with a bit of extra cold butter and salt, a nice glass of red wine or apple cider, and optionally a slice of good coarse bread.

Have a great time, and enjoy your meal!