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The pistachio (, ; Pistacia vera) is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, originating in Iran. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food.
In 2022, world production of pistachios was one million , with the United States, Iran, and Turkey combined accounting for 88% of the total.
The fruit is a drupe, containing an elongated seed, which is the edible portion. The seed, commonly thought of as a nut, is a culinary nut, not a botanical nut. The fruit has a hard, cream-colored exterior shell. The seed has a mauve-colored skin and light green flesh, with a distinctive flavor. When the fruit ripens, the shell changes from green to an autumnal yellow/red and abruptly splits partly open. This is known as dehiscence and happens with an audible pop. Humans selected the trait of splitting open. Towards a comprehensive documentation and use of Pistacia genetic diversity in Central and West Asia, North Africa and Europe, Report of the IPGRI Workshop, 14–17 December 1998, Irbid, Jordan – S.Padulosi and A. Hadj-Hassan, editors Commercial cultivars vary in how consistently they split open.
Each mature pistachio tree averages around of seeds, or around 50,000 seeds, every two years.
Archaeology shows that pistachio seeds were a common food as early as 6750 BCE. The earliest archeological evidence of pistachio consumption goes back to the Bronze Age Central Asia and comes from Djarkutan, modern Uzbekistan.
The Romans introduced pistachio trees from Asia to Europe in the first century AD. They are cultivated across Southern Europe and North Africa.Davidson (1999) Oxford Companion to food, Oxford University Press
Theophrastus described it as a terebinth-like tree with almond-like nuts from Bactria.
It appears in Dioscorides' writings as pistákia (πιστάκια), recognizable as P. vera by its comparison to .James Strong, ed. Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, s.v. "Nut".
Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History that pistacia, "well known among us", was one of the trees unique to Syria, and that the seed was introduced into Italy by the Roman proconsul in Syria, Lucius Vitellius the Elder (in office in 35 AD), and into Hispania at the same time by Cicero.Pliny's Natural History, xiii.10.5, xv.22.
The manuscript De observatione ciborum ( On the Observance of Foods) by Anthimus, from the early sixth century, implies that pistacia remained well-known in Europe in late antiquity.
An article on pistachio tree cultivation was brought down in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture. (pp. –248 (Article XIV)
Archaeologists have found evidence from excavations at Jarmo in northeastern Iraq for the consumption of Atlantic pistachio.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were said to have contained pistachio trees during the reign of King Marduk-apla-iddina II about 700 BCE.
In the 19th century, the pistachio was cultivated commercially in parts of the English-speaking world, such as Australia and in the US in New Mexico and California, where it was introduced in 1854 as a garden tree.
In 1904 and 1905, David Fairchild of the United States Department of Agriculture introduced hardier to California collected from China, but it was not promoted as a commercial crop until 1929.; Commissioner of Horticulture of the State of California, Biennial report1905/06, vol. II:392. Walter T. Swingle's pistachios from Syria had already fruited well at Niles, California, by 1917.Liberty Hyde Bailey, Cyclopedia of American Agriculture: II.Crops, 1917, s.v."Importance of plant introduction" p.
In 1969 and 1971, changes to the tax code in the United States eliminated for almonds and citrus fruits. That encouraged California farmers to plant pistachio trees because they were still eligible for such tax breaks. In 1972, the Shah of Iran began a school breakfast program that included packets of pistachios. This resulted in a decline in pistachio exports from Iran, resulting in increased prices in other countries and additional incentives to plant pistachio trees in California. The first commercial pistachio harvest in California took place in 1976. The Shah was forced into exile in January 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, resulting in an end to trade between the United States and Iran, providing additional incentives for American farmers to plant dramatically more pistachio trees.
By 2008, U.S. pistachio production rivaled that of Iran. Drought and cold weather in Iran led to severe declines in production, while U.S. production was increasing. At that time, pistachios were Iran's second-most important export product, after the oil and gas sector.
By 2020, there were 150,000 pistachio farmers in Iran, approximately 70% of whom were small-scale producers using inefficient manual picking and processing techniques. There were 950 far larger U.S. producers, using highly efficient mechanized production techniques. The U.S. and Iran control 70% of the world export market, with the U.S. in the lead. Worldwide demand exceeds production, so both countries can sell to various export markets.
In 2021, Fresno County, California, accounted for about 40% of U.S. pistachio production, with a value of $722 million.
| + Pistachio production, 2022 | |
| 400,070 | |
| 241,669 | |
| 239,289 | |
| 81,700 | |
| 45,467 | |
| 1,026,803 | |
| Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations | |
Italy produces a low quantity of pistachios, with the Pistacchio di Bronte (pistachios from Bronte town) DOP-protected.
Pistachio shells typically split naturally before harvest, with a hull covering the intact seeds. The hull protects the kernel from invasion by molds and insects, but this hull protection can be damaged in the orchard by poor orchard management practices, by birds, or after harvest, which makes exposure to contamination much easier. Some pistachios undergo a so-called "early split", wherein both the hull and the shell split. Damage or early splits can lead to aflatoxin contamination. In some cases, a harvest may be treated to keep contamination below strict food safety thresholds; in other cases, an entire batch of pistachios must be destroyed because of aflatoxin contamination.
Like other members of the family Anacardiaceae (which includes poison ivy, sumac, Mangifera indica, and cashew), pistachios contain urushiol, an irritant that can cause allergy. Large quantities of pistachios are self-heating in the presence of moisture due to their high oil content in addition to naturally occurring , and can spontaneously combust if stored with a combustible fabric such as jute.
The shell of the pistachio is naturally a beige color, but it may be dyed red or green in commercial pistachios. Originally, dye was applied to hide stains on the shells caused when the nuts were picked by hand. In the 21st century, most pistachios are harvested by machine and the shells remain unstained.
The fat profile of raw pistachios consists mainly of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, with a small amount of saturated fats (table). Saturated fatty acids include palmitic acid (10% of total) and stearic acid (2%) (table). Oleic acid is the most common monounsaturated fatty acid (52% of total fat). and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, is 30% of total fat. Relative to other tree nuts, pistachios have a lower amount of fat and food energy, but higher amounts of potassium, vitamin K, Tocopherol, and certain such as , and .
One review found that pistachio consumption lowered blood pressure in persons without diabetes mellitus. A 2021 review found that pistachio consumption for three months or less significantly reduced triglyceride levels.
Nutrition
Raw pistachios are 4% water, 45% fat, 28% , and 20% protein (table). In a 100-gram reference amount, pistachios provide of food energy. They are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value or DV) of protein, dietary fiber, several dietary minerals, and the B vitamins thiamin (73% DV) and vitamin B6 (100% DV) (table). Pistachios are a moderate source (10–19% DV) of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K (table).
Research and health effects
In July 2003, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved the first qualified health claim specific to consumption of seeds (including pistachios) to lower the risk of heart disease: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease". Although a typical serving of pistachios supplies substantial food energy (nutrition table), their consumption in normal amounts is not associated with weight gain or obesity.
See also
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