culture

Songchon chestnut is a delicious, late-ripening variety belonging to Pyongyang chestnut. It is easy to peel off its inner skin.

The Songchon chestnut tree was registered as a living monument. The trees grow mainly in the Songchon area of South Phyongan Province. They were planted in around 1947 and the chestnut forest covers an area of about three hectares. Around them, oak and pine trees and shrubs grow together.

The Songchon chestnut trees are 12 metres tall on average, 1.5 metres round at the root neck, 1.3 metres round at the chest height and about 10 metres wide at the crown.

The flowers bloom between the middle and end of June and the fruits ripen between late September and early October.

A round and small chestnut-burr generally contains three chestnuts and sometimes two. A chestnut is oval in shape with a sharp end and its glossy skin is beige in colour. The dried chestnut contains starch, sugar and protein.

The tree grows slowly and has a relatively high resistance to cold.

The Songchon County Foodstuff Factory produces preserves, jams and jellies with Songchon chestnut, a local speciality of the county.