What is the difference between a chestnut and a marron?
28 April 2021
The chestnut and the edible chestnut are both fruits of the chestnut tree. The difference between the two is also in the bogue (name of the spiny shell). If this one contains fruits partitioned by a brownish skin (the “tan”), they are chestnuts. If the bogue contains the fruits in a single block: they are chestnuts! To this day, legally speaking, the mention of “chestnut” or “sweet chestnut” is left to the free interpretation of each. However, in France, the CTIFL (Centre Technique Interprofessionnel des Fruits et Légumes) recommends the appellation “marron” when there is an average of less than 12% of partitioned fruits.
Be careful not to confuse with the horse chestnut which is the fruit of the horse chestnut tree (an ornamental tree often found in cities) and which is not edible!