Heisse Maroni
The smell of roasting chestnuts is the smell of Europe in autumn. Basel is no exception and you don’t have to go very far to find them. Take a stroll down the Freiestrasse or along the Rhine on any given Saturday and you’ll see multiple food carts with the words Heisse Maroni. But your nose will find them first: that nutty, smokey, burning leaf aroma is reminiscent of Provence and just as irresistible. I am not alone in this sentiment: almost every cart has a line.
I have noticed one cart in particular, located just off of the Marktplatz on Freie Strasse, that is always jammed. Whether it is the prime location or superior product that drives sales, I cannot say. However, I have never been able to resist the siren song of popularity, so I patiently wait on line, nose twitching at every paper cone full of toasty nuts that wafts by.
Finally, it is my turn. For 3.50 CHF I get 100 grams - about 8 - of the deep brown beauties and I am only two steps from the cart when I eagerly crack open a charred shell and pull out the plump morsel inside.
Delicious. Tender, sweet and meaty, the chestnuts also have just the right amount of smokey firewood flavoring.
Roasted chestnuts are perfect beer kibble and I witnessed one couple take their precious sack of gems and pull up a chair at the nearest cafe. They ordered two beers and promptly dove into their chestnuts like a pair of binge-eating squirrels. I nibbled at my own chestnut treasures as I watched them, enjoying the show and each sweet, nutty bite.
There’s more good news! Chestnuts are healthy! Find out everything you’d ever want to know about these low-fat, low calorie, vitamin C-rich munchies here.