Pistachios

Pistachios

Whether served just as nibbles, in sweet desserts or hearty dishes, these little green stone fruits can be used in many different ways in the kitchen.

In Mediterranean, Arab and oriental cuisine, pistachios are used to enrich stuffings, sauces for poultry and minced meat dishes, meat, sausage and poultry fillings. They can traditionally be found in French brawn (head cheese), Italian mortadella, Turkish halva and baklava, Greek pilaf and American pistachio salad. In India, rice and vegetables are given a special flavour by the addition of ground pistachios. In patisserie, their green colour (often artificially enhanced!) and sweet almond flavour (frequently emphasised with bitter almond oil) make them a favourite ingredient. Pistachios can be found in creams, especially for cakes such as pistachio sponge, in pastries and tarts, ice-cream, glazed desserts and nougat.

Since ancient times, pistachios have been grown in the Near East and around the Mediterranean. Legend has it that the Queen of Sheba decreed pistachios to be an exclusively royal food, forbidding commoners from growing them for personal use. Today, Iran is the world’s largest producer of pistachios, followed by the USA and Turkey. They are also grown in China, Syria, Greece and Italy. Once they are harvested in August and September, pistachios must be skinned and dried immediately. This ensures that they retain their quality and the shells do not discolour. Traditionally they are dried in the sun, but industrial production uses large ovens. As they dry, the pistachio kernel presses on the shell surrounding it, causing it to naturally split. Pistachio shells are often dyed red in the USA. This is not a marker of quality or variety, but is simply used to visually emphasise the green colour of the kernel.

Text: Rainer Meier