Where do water chestnuts come from?

There soooooooo...yummy!

Where do water chestnuts come from?
The Chinese water chestnut is a grass-like sedge grown for its edible corms (underground stem portion). (thanks, WikiPedia!)
Reply:The important thing to know is, once you have fresh water chestnuts, you'll never want canned again. They're hard to find and a pain to peel, but they are sweet and much crunchier. The closest thing might be jicama.



The same is true for bamboo shoots.
Reply:The water chestnut, also called the Chinese water chestnut or the water caltrop, is a tuber vegetable that resembles a chestnut in color and shape. Although it is most commonly associated with Chinese cooking, it is now gaining in popularity as a cooking ingredient in many different ethnic meals. Originating in Southeast Asia, water chestnuts are the roots of an aquatic plant that grows in freshwater ponds, marshes and lakes, and in slow-moving rivers and streams. Currently, water chestnuts are grown in Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand as well as in Australia. When harvesting water chestnuts, much labor is involved. Because of this, water chestnuts are fairly expensive to purchase, especially in a processed or canned form. However, processed and canned water chestnuts are the most common form used for producing and mass-marketing water chestnuts to consumers. You can easily purchase these products in most supermarkets and grocery stores. You can also purchase fresh water chestnuts, which are more difficult to find, at some specialty vegetable stores and ethnic markets. When purchasing fresh water chestnuts, however, know who your supplier is first to ensure that the tubers, which you are buying, are fresh.