Pistachio’s as a Seed Fruit and a Delicious Ice Cream Flavor!

The Pistachio is named after it’s Persian derivative- “Pisteh” (which translates into ‘The Green Almond’) and it is related to another very tasty nut- the Cashew. According to Islamic legend, the Pistachio nut was one of the foods brought to Earth by Adam.

They grow in 20-foot tall trees that thrive in stony, poor soil under high heat and with little or no rainfall. Which made them perfect for the middle east, however they cannot tolerate humidity or excessively moist conditions, so they did not do well on the coast. The Pistachio tree can live for centuries with no care, feeding or nurturing. In fact, Iran claims a 700-year-old tree!

The 700 Year Old Tree in Iran

The fruit itself is a ‘drupe’ meaning that it has an outer flesh covering over the hard-shelled nut. Pistachio harvesters traditionally have machines that shake the fruit over tarps, where they are gathered and then soaked to remove the outer soft red or yellow covering before the shells containing the nut are dried in the sun. Modern motorized equipment posses a V-shaped ’shaker’ mechanism and collect the nuts in a ‘trough’ running down the center at the bottom, as pictured.

The Queen of Sheb, as legend tells, once decreed the Pistachio a royal food and she went so far as to forbid peasants from growing it. Nebuchadnezzar, the ancient king of Babylon, had Pistachio trees planted in his hanging gardens- which were one of the historic 7 wonders of the world.

In the late 1890’s, Pistachios were brought to the United States by a former Syrian immigrant and nut salesman and are currently cultivated as a commercial crop in California. The U.S. is now the second largest producer in the world. One of the most popular recipes using Pistachios is Pistachio ice cream, created by James W. Parkinson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania around 1940.

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