José Gomes Laranjo
President of RefCast – Portuguese Association of the Chestnut
With hundreds of years or not, some majestic, chestnut trees have always been the side of humanity, we can even say that it is a domesticated tree. As Miguel Torga refers to them in his book "New Tales of the Mountain" they are chestnut trees "... with the age of the World". Coveted by their fruits, those who feed the hunger of many, since humans stopped being hunters and became farmers, becoming, therefore, the "Bread tree". Known for its noble wood, for centuries used in the construction of houses, in the manufacture of furniture, tools for agriculture, works of religious art and many other applications. The chestnut tree is still the home for many wildlife species that have always found in this a base for their survival, either by the fruits, either through the foliage.
Aware of its importance, already the Romans, for about 2500 years old, sowed their chestnuts through Europe as their empire grew, having had a decisive role in the expansion of such ancient species that has more than 40 million years of existence that in the words of the writer Aquilino Ribeiro it takes "… three hundred years to grow, three hundred years in its being, another three hundred to die."
These trees that "... in the slopes, twist and wave, dropping thornny fruits... They have body and life in itself..." Jaime Cortesão says, are something that identifies itself with the culture, the customs, the economy and, sometimes, with the religion of the people, making it a tree esteemed by millions of people without distinction of creed or nationality, From ancient times up to younger people, like the American where it became known as the "All American Tree". More recently known as the "oil of Trás-os-Montes", or "gold" in a tribute to the Romans who settled in Tresminas to explore gold in its subsoil. Therefore, alongside the economic and ecologic value of this species, its not surprising that there is a "culture of the chestnut", as exemplified by the great toponymic wealth, the culinary, the magustos, the monumental chestnut, without forgetting the literature, the music and the themed itineraries (see the Chestnut Route). In the words of Aquilino Ribeiro "... the chestnut tree is a beautiful tree, a tree of strength and beauty ... leafy. ", a health tree, we should say.
It's in this spirit that we invite the reader to travel in this "World of the Chestnut Tree".