Castaña de Galicia

Castaña de Galicia is a PGI covering fresh and frozen chestnuts obtained from native Galician cultivars of Castanea sativa grown in the mountainous and highland interior of Galicia, Spain. The designation is distinguished by a thin, easily removed episperm, a moisture content of between 50 % and 60 %, a minimum carbohydrate content of 55 % measured on dry matter, and very low rates of partitioning and splitting.

About this designation

Registered as a PGI under file number PGI-ES-0609, with EU protection dating from 21 June 2007, Castaña de Galicia covers nuts obtained exclusively from native Galician cultivars of the European chestnut tree, Castanea sativa Mill., sold fresh or frozen. The specification does not extend to dried forms. The production area is the mountainous and highland interior of Galicia, characterised by soils on granite and metamorphic rocks of loamy texture, low pH, and low active lime content, combined with moderate temperatures and high atmospheric humidity during nut development. The cultivars covered are local ecotypes selected by Galician farmers over centuries within soutos — plantations of trees of the same or similar age managed under uniform cultivation techniques — and are classified as conservation varieties. To carry the PGI, nuts must have a moisture content of no less than 50 % and no more than 60 %, a minimum carbohydrate content of 55 % measured on dry matter, a maximum partitioned-nut rate of 12 %, and a maximum count of 120 nuts per kilogram for fresh produce or 200 nuts per kilogram for frozen produce. Each container may contain a maximum of 5 % of nuts that do not meet these requirements. The control body is the CR de la IGP Castaña de Galicia. The eAmbrosia identifier for this entry is EUGI00000013891.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 21 June 2007 under file number PGI-ES-0609; eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013891.
• The specification requires a moisture content of between 50 % and 60 % and a minimum carbohydrate content of 55 % measured on dry matter.
• Only native Galician ecotypes of Castanea sativa, classified as conservation varieties, qualify; no other cultivars are permitted.
• The maximum permitted count is 120 nuts per kilogram for fresh produce and 200 nuts per kilogram for frozen produce.

Tasting notes

Galician chestnut IGP. Sweet creamy starchy flesh.

HoReCa use

Roasted whole, used in Galician pastry, and incorporated into chestnut soups.

Packaging

• crate-fresh-10kg
• vacuum-pack-cooked-500g
• dried-1kg
• gift-pack-300g

Seasonality