Water chestnuts are both fruits and vegetables. Water chestnut is commonly known as horseshoe fruit. Its flesh is white, crisp, sweet and delicious. As a fruit, it needs to be peeled to eat. As a vegetable, it can be cooked in soup, sweet and delicious, and can also be eaten in stir-fry. Water chestnuts are rich in nutrients, have a high water content, and have a lot of vitamins and minerals. They also contain protein, crude fiber, carotene, iron, calcium, phosphorus and carbohydrates, but they are not high in calories. Water chestnuts are generally marketed in winter and spring. When choosing water chestnuts, choose water chestnuts with flat roots instead of pitted roots. In addition, the reddish water chestnuts are more tender and the black water chestnuts are older.