Despite the name, water chestnuts are vegetables that look similar to chestnuts. Unlike chestnuts (or horse chestnuts) that grow in chestnut trees, water chestnuts grow in water. They originally came from China, but they can also be found in Australia, Africa and other parts of Asia. Water chestnuts have a sweet and nutty flavor. They have a tuber inside that you can eat, and the tuber is the water chestnut located at the stem's base. Water chestnuts are a common ingredient in Asian cuisine, found in dishes like stir-fries. They are like "sweet chestnuts," so many people use them to make sweet syrups and drinks.