麻豆传媒映画

National food safety agency l'Agence Nationale de S茅curit茅 Sanitaire de l'Alimentation (Anses), issued the warning this week after reports of some people becoming poisoned from accidentally eating a toxic variety of the popular autumn food.

Confusion between the common conker and edible chestnuts 鈥渞epresented 11% of the confusion, in all seasons鈥�, the agency said.

In a statement, Anses warned: 鈥淓ven if we often talk about 鈥榗hestnuts鈥�, [the traditional Christmas snack] 鈥榞lazed or roast chestnuts鈥� (鈥�marrons glac茅s鈥�), or even 鈥榗ream of鈥� or 鈥榗hestnut pur茅e鈥�, these are in fact made with varieties of large chestnuts (鈥�肠丑芒迟补颈驳苍别蝉鈥�) specifically farmed for human consumption.鈥�

Whether wild or farmed, chestnuts (肠丑芒迟补颈驳苍别蝉) are edible.

But conkers (sometimes known in French as 鈥�marrons d鈥橧nde鈥�), which are found underneath horse chestnut trees, are not. They can cause digestive problems such as abdominal pain, or nausea and vomiting; and throat irritation.

Visible differences: Conkers or horse chestnuts (L) compared to edible or "sweet" chestnuts (R)

Advice for telling the difference:

• Chestnut skins (called 鈥渂urrs鈥� - or 鈥�bogues鈥� in French) are usually brown-green with long 鈥渇luffy鈥� spikes, whereas conker skins are thick and green, with short spikes (see images, above)
• Chestnut cases contain two or three chestnuts inside, whereas conker cases usually only contain one piece
• Chestnuts have a flat bottom and a point on the top, whereas conkers do not have this pointed shape
• Chestnuts are found in woods and forests; whereas conkers are usually found in towns, such as in parks and school playgrounds

Conkers are also sometimes known as horse chestnuts (not edible), and edible chestnuts are sometimes known as sweet chestnuts.