Roasted Chestnuts

I must have heard that old Christmas song, “Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire” thousands of times when growing up. It was on my mother’s favorite “Andy Williams Sings Your Favorite Christmas Songs” albums. The funny thing is that I had never seen chestnuts being roasted until coming to Thailand.

Chestnuts roasting in a pot in the market

The sight is not that common in Thailand either, but you will see it from time to time, especially during the cool season from November to March. The chestnuts are roasted in a very large wok or purpose-built pot filled with tiny iron pellets. The nuts are mixed in with the hot pellets and stirred constantly while the nuts roast.