Pistachio, the Happy Nut
BY Kate Lowenstein, Daniel Gritzen AND Diane Godley
There are plenty of reasons to smile about this versatile, nutritious nut.
What is a colour, a nut and also a fruit? You guessed it, lovable me, pistachio. Most people think I’m a ‘nut’, but I am actually the seed of the tree’s fruit. I grow in clusters, like grapes. When ripe my hard shell splits open with an audible snap, producing a pleasing smile. In fact, I am better known as the ‘happy nut’ in several cultures around the world due to my cheerful demeanour.
I have been grown for thousands of years, although countries outside the Middle East only twigged to my existence much later. Although my exact origins are not clear, I have been cultivated in the Middle East since before 7000 BCE. In fact, I was found at Jarmo, a prehistoric archaeological site (today located in modern Iraq), known to be one of the world’s earliest farming communities.
However, I was little known even in my immediate area until around 2000 BCE, when a sharp increase in population forced the inhabitants to exploit foods which had, up until then, only been eaten during times of shortage. From that time forward, I was never neglected on my home turf again. I was grown in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and am one of only two nuts mentioned in the Old Testament – the other being the almond. Thanks to the Silk Road trade, I made my way into the cooking traditions of China and Italy around 6 CE.
The Persians ground my good self, along with the almond, into desserts and sauces to give them body. The Arabs, who had considerable influence in Southern Europe and North Africa in the Middle Ages, learnt this artform and spread the technique.
Today I’m prized in many cuisines, not only desserts, but savoury dishes, too. I star in Moroccan tagines (often paired with chicken or lamb and dried fruit such as apricots or figs), Middle Eastern knafeh ( a fragrant salty- sweet dessert made from cheese and syrup- soaked shredded phyllo), and honey-drenched baklava.
Some have suggested that if it wasn’t for my cheery green hue, I may never have moved beyond the Middle East – although I don’t believe that for a minute! My colour comes from chlorophyll, a natural plant pigment which is found in, you guessed it, green vegetables such as peas, cucumber and celery.
The appearance of food is important, it seems. If it pleases the eye, it can influence the palate. And dare I say it, one of those factors is colour. When it comes to desserts, there was one colour missing: green – which is where I step into the spotlight.
Of course, I’m also an ingredient in snack mixes, biscuits, cakes and, yes, everyone’s favourite green ice cream. Though note that most pistachio ice cream is f lavoured primarily with much less expensive almond extract; the specimens of me studded throughout are cover for the ruse. Not the slow-toasted Sicilian pistachio gelato from Italy though, which won the World Champion Gelato flavour in 2017.
My popularity as a snack food grew in the late 1800s with the arrival of Middle Eastern immigrants to the US, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that the Americans started growing me, producing my first crop in the 1970s. Australia caught on in the 1980s, and I have been readi ly avai lable on those shores since the late 1990s – although my demand outstrips supply and at least half of the pistachios consumed in Australia are imported from countries like the US, Turkey and Iran.
The world annual production of me is more than one million tonnes. Dare I say it, I am one popular nut. So beloved that I have my own special day, International Pistachio Day, on February 26.
My appeal, as both a snack and an ingredient, is my mildly earthy-sweet flavour, fatty richness and crunch. I have the same amount of protein as almonds but a smidge less fat, add to that my fibre, plus the fact that you need to shell every single one of me, makes me a favourite among dieters.
MY APPEAL IS MY EARTHYSWEET FLAVOUR, FATTY RICHNESS AND CRUNCH
Regardless of what country or what century, I have always been seen as something of a luxury item. I am three to four times more expensive than other nuts. But my exorbitant price has nothing to do with my exclusive colouring among nuts: it is the time it takes for my tree to produce me – around 15-20 years after first planting; the amount of nuts each tree yields – a fully grown tree around 22 kilograms; and my favoured environment – I like arid locations that are freezing in winter and scorching hot in the summer. So, there are only but a few locations around the world I can tolerate, making me altogether rather exotic.