Kuri (Japanese chestnut)

Best eaten: Roasted
Nothing beats the smell of chestnuts roasting on the street corner on a nippy day. Kuri are popular in roasted form as street food from autumn all the way till winter. They are also cooked together with rice and used to make both traditional Japanese sweets (wagashi) and Western desserts. Even snack brands such as Kit Kat and Pocky have jumped on the chestnut wagon and come up with limited-edition seasonal flavours. Do not miss the wagashi known as kuri-manju, which is a sinfully delicious bun with an entire steamed chestnut inside.