Pistachio nuts are native to the Middle East. Archaeologists have
found remnants of pistachios in the ruins of villages dating
back nine thousand years. Commercial plantings began in the 1800s
Turkey.
The pistachio is a drupe. It's
botanically related to cashews, peaches and mangoes. Pistachio trees
can reach 30 feet in height
. It takes trees 10 to 15 years to begin producing significant quantities
of nuts; they usually bear a large crop one year and a
small crop the next. Pistachio trees grow in parts of Iran, Turkey,
Syria, Afghanistan, Greece, Italy and in the Western U.S.
-- areas that have long, hot summers and cool winters.
The edible kernel is surrounded
by a hard shell that begins to open on the tree as the nut matures.
When the shells don't split,
they can be opened artificially, by hand or machine. The hard shell
is covered by a soft, fruity husk which is removed
during processing.
Many pistachio eaters agree -- the best tasting pistachios are grown
in Turkey. And the best pistachios in Turkey come from
the area around the city of Gaziantep, not far from the Syrian border.
The nuts grow in clusters on branches
that can reach 30 feet in height.
When the outer hulls turn pink and start
to open, it's time to begin harvesting.
In Turkey, workers shake the
branches with poles to harvest pistachios, usually in early September.
The nuts then go to a
processing center. Pistachios that are not being used immediately
are stored in the husks. When it comes time to remove
the husks, modern technology takes over.
In Turkey, pistachios are stored "in
the red," with their dried husks left on until they're processed.
When it's time to process, the pistachios' pink husks are removed
inside automated, specially-designed cylinders.
At harvest time in Turkey, some
of the nuts are brought directly into town and eaten as "fresh"
pistachios (r). The consumer
peels off the husk and eats the raw pistachio. Some pistachios are
packaged after roasting, but most are sold in bulk, at spice shops.
California pistachios tend to
be larger and more open because they were developed from rootstocks
that emphasize these
attributes. Pistachios from Turkey are smaller and less open and
have darker shells; but they feature a richer, more
distinctive flavor than California pistachios. In fact, many pistachios
eaters think Turkish pistachios are better tasting
than any other variety, including Iranian. We think part of the
difference in flavor is based on processing methods.
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