Assadas or cozidas? A guide to Portugal’s autumn chestnuts

A Portuguese autumn chestnut is not tied to a single cooking method. Castanhas assadas are roasted; castanhas cozidas are boiled. Knowing those two words is a useful start, whether you are reading a menu or choosing what to make at home.

The next question is how they are seasoned. Salt, herbs and spices can change the result, and the cooking word alone does not tell you the whole recipe. Here is a small guide to choosing a version, rather than assuming every serving will be the same.

Assadas: look beyond the roasting label

For the roasted route, two Portuguese retailers publish slightly different methods. Pingo Doce scores the shells, soaks the chestnuts in hot salted water and then roasts them at 180°C. Continente also scores and soaks its chestnuts, but uses a 200°C oven and finishes with fresh rosemary.

The useful lesson is not that one temperature is the national rule. It is that assadas describes the method, not a fixed seasoning or a guarantee of cooking over charcoal. Both of these recipes use a domestic oven. If a particular cooking fuel or flavour matters to you, ask rather than reading it into the name.

For a home batch, follow one complete recipe from the source links instead of combining its temperature with another recipe’s timings. The shared preparation points are straightforward: wash the chestnuts, cut the shells before cooking and give them a short covered rest afterwards. Pingo Doce specifies five minutes wrapped in a kitchen cloth; Continente gives ten. Serve them warm, allowing them to cool enough to handle before peeling.

Cozidas: the seasoning is part of the choice

Boiling offers a different preparation, and it need not mean chestnuts cooked in plain water. Continente’s recipe uses salt and cinnamon sticks. It calls for roughly 30 minutes of cooking, with a check of doneness as the shells begin to open, before peeling.

Turismo Centro de Portugal also describes boiled chestnuts with erva-doce as part of the São Martinho tradition. That gives you a useful question when ordering: what has gone into the cooking water? Cinnamon and an aniseed-style seasoning are different flavour choices, not ingredients you should assume are present in every version.

At home, choose the seasoning to suit the way you want to eat the chestnuts. For a first comparison, try roasted and boiled versions on separate occasions and notice which preparation you prefer. This is an invitation to taste, not a claim that one method is more authentic.

What does magusto mean?

A magusto is a chestnut-centred gathering, closely associated with São Martinho on 11 November. The regional tourism organisation describes the tradition through chestnuts, company and the tasting of new wine. It is more than another word for a portion of roasted chestnuts.

The date is useful cultural context, but it is not a confirmed programme for every town. A listing for a magusto may have its own date, venue and booking arrangements. Check the organiser’s current announcement before travelling. The tourism page used here dates from 2021: its background explains the tradition, while its individual event listings are not a 2026 calendar.

Four words worth keeping

• Castanhas: chestnuts.
• Assadas: roasted; ask how they are cooked if the distinction matters.
• Cozidas: boiled; ask about the seasoning.
• Magusto: a gathering built around the chestnut tradition, not a particular cooking instruction.

Start with those distinctions and the autumn menu becomes easier to read. The most useful follow-up is often a simple one: how are these chestnuts prepared?

Fact-checked on 3 October 2026. This is a food guide, not a restaurant review or an announcement of a specific event.