Can chestnuts cause food poisoning?

The Hidden Danger of Chestnuts

When autumn arrives, roasting chestnuts over an open fire sounds like the ultimate cozy treat. However, not all chestnuts are safe to eat, and mixing them up can lead to a very unpleasant experience. While sweet chestnuts are completely edible and delicious, their lookalikes—known as horse chestnuts—are actually poisonous.

Mistaking one for the other is surprisingly common. In fact, more than one in ten cases of people accidentally eating poisonous plants involve mixing up sweet and horse chestnuts. If someone accidentally consumes a horse chestnut, it can trigger uncomfortable and painful digestive issues.

Common symptoms of horse chestnut poisoning include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and throat irritation. To stay safe, it is essential to double-check the source of your chestnuts before eating them. Sweet chestnuts typically feature a small tassel or point on the shell and grow in husks with dense, needle-like spines, whereas horse chestnuts usually grow in smoother husks with blunt warts.