Chestnuts - edible and poisonous?

How can I tell the difference between edible chestnuts and poisonous horse chestnuts?

Chestnuts - edible and poisonous?
if you don't hear the alarm clock going off in the next morning, then the chestnuts must have been poisonous...(just kidding)



get more information on what the 2 types look like and what are the differences and be careful when eating them



Horse chestnut:

http://www.morsenursery.com/images/aescu...



Chestnut:

http://www.kitchengardeners.org/pics/che...



The chestnuts have a little pointed 'beard' looking thing on the bottom side of the nut, and their green shell is covered with needle looking spikes while the horse-chestnuts are shinier and rounder and the green shell is with less spikes which are not so sharp.
Reply:Firstly it's probably best to be able to identify the trees. The Horse Chestnut, Aesculus hippocastaneum has compound palmate leaves and a spikey seed casing, while the edible chestnut or Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa has long lance shaped toothed leaves and a hairier seed casing. The fruit of the Horse Chestnut are usually borne singularly within the seed casing and are a reddish brown in color and rounder than those of the Sweet Chestnut which are a much darker brown and are borne in pairs.
Reply:The edible variety have a brush-like husk or shell which is spiky. The conkers are in a similar shell but much harder with bigger spikes. Not as soft or fluffy
Reply:sweetchestnuts have a prickly outer shell and are more dence in prickles and are soft to the touch.

the horse chestnut can be safely eaten if you mash the white of the nut up and wash to get the bitter tanins then this can be used as a flour sub,as the native amarcains have done,I hope this is of some help.
Reply:First you can look at the 'bolster', where the chestnut is encased in.



If it has longer spikes, and can actually sting you, it's edible (mind you, the chestnut is, not the 'bolster')



If the chestnut itself has this little thing on top of it, it's edible. Those that are 'perfectly' round are poisonous.
Reply:Get a sweet chestnut and a horse chestnut. Put them side by side. You should be able to see the difference.
Reply:The horse chestnut come out of a shell with green spikes on them and they are well defined. The sweet ones come from a shell on which the spines are hairy and very prickly. If they are in the supermarket or greengrocers they will be shelled and they are safe.
Reply:Try having a game of conkers with a chesnut, you will never get pass 2 wins.