Imbuljuta tal-Qastan is a traditional Maltese Christmas drink made from chestnuts, cocoa, sugar, cloves and citrus zest. It is associated with Christmas Eve and is served hot after Midnight Mass. The texture sits somewhere between a drink and a thin pudding: the chestnuts are crushed rather than puréed, so each cup has small soft pieces suspended in a dark, lightly spiced chocolate base.
The flavor combines the sweetness of chestnuts with bitter cocoa, the warmth of cloves, and the bright perfume of tangerine or mandarin zest. Some versions add a piece of dark chocolate for extra depth. It is typically ladled into small cups and sipped slowly.
The recipe works well with vacuum-packed or jarred peeled chestnuts, which are widely sold in American supermarkets from November. For another chestnut recipe from the holiday table, see the Portuguese Roasted Chestnuts, Castanhas Assadas (recipe on the site), and for a warming holiday drink from Portugal, the Portuguese Mulled Port Wine, Vinho do Porto Quente (recipe on the site).
Imbuljuta tal-Qastan Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces peeled cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed or jarred), roughly chopped
- 6 cups water, divided
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- Zest of 2 tangerines or mandarins (or 1 small orange), removed in wide strips
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 70%), chopped (optional)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine the chestnuts, 5 cups of the water, the citrus zest strips and the cloves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes, until the chestnuts are very soft.
- Remove the zest strips and cloves. Crush the chestnuts directly in the pot with a potato masher, leaving some small pieces for texture.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and sugar with the remaining 1 cup water until smooth. Pour into the pot, add the pinch of salt and stir well.
- Simmer gently, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the drink is thick and glossy. Lower the heat if it begins to stick.
- If using, stir in the chopped chocolate off the heat until melted. Taste and add a little more sugar if needed.
- Ladle into small cups and serve hot.
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