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Have You Ever Heard of a Chinquapin?

Have You Ever Heard of a Chinquapin? Emma Phelps © Provided by Southern Living Paul Sisco A chinka-what? I asked my grandparents, as they told me about this surprising and funny little nut that s widespread from Maryland down to Texas. My grandparents explained that they grew up enjoying this uncommon snack from the trees on their family farms. Apparently, it can even be baked into a pie. Such intrigue! The chinquapin, or chinkapin, is a sister species to the American chestnut. It grows in a hard, spikey burr on a squatty tree that looks similar to the American chestnut tree. The first English recording of the chinquapin was from Captain John Smith in approximately 1607 when he came in contact with the Powhatan confederacy, Taylor Perkins, a research associate at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, says. The original name chechinquamin (which evolved over time from pronunciation) meant mini berry or fruit in the Powhatan language.