Mediterranean Shelled Pistachio

The word "pistachio" derives from the Arabic term fustaq and from the Persian pesteh: both names are onomatopoeic and recall the sound produced by the shell which opens when fully ripe. The origin of the Pistacia genus can be traced back to the Tertiary era, thanks to the discovery of fossil residues found on the island of Madeira. Other archaeological finds have shown that the pistachio was used since 7000 BC, in Turkey, as food. The diffusion of the various species in different areas has been ascertained, but limiting the investigation to Pistacia vera, it would be native to Syria or to a much wider area, including also Asia Minor, Palestine and Turkmenistan. According to legend, pistachio was grown by King Nabochadnezzar in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife Amytis. Pistachio cultivation is very ancient; in fact, it is referred to in the Bible, when it is said that Jacob sent various fruits as a tribute to Pharaoh, including pistachios (Genesis 43:11).

Pistachio was known to the Assyrians , Persians and Greeks as a medicinal drug. Its culture developed in western Asia, where it was found by Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BC; the pistachio was then brought to Rome in 30 AD by Lucio Vitellio, governor general of Syria, and later spread to Spain by Pompeo Crassus. Marcus Gavius Apicius includes pistachio in his classic recipe book of Early Roman cuisine. The diffusion of the pistachio gradually includes China, Caucasian Russia and for about a century the United States of America where the plant was introduced by the "Office of Foreign Seeds and Plants Introduction". Although in Italy the pistachio was used from the beginning in various recipes, north of the Alps it was mainly considered an expensive pastry ingredient. Only after the Second World War did the pistachio's image gradually transform, being enjoyed as a popular snack. In the United States they were typically colored red to mask imperfections and attract consumer attention: “a dozen for five cents” soon became a familiar slogan.

The world's largest pistachio producer is Iran with an average annual production of over 230,000 tons, followed by the United States with about 110,000 tons, then by Turkey, China, Syria, Greece, Italy, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In Iran, most pistachios are grown in the provinces of Rafsanjan and Kerman. Iran covers about 54% of the entire world production and has its largest market in Western Europe. Imported mainly in the round variety, the Iranian pistachio is highly appreciated thanks to its excellent quality and flavour. California, whose production covers about 22% of the world share, produces a pistachio with substantially different characteristics from the Iranian one, with a lighter shell without spots, but much less tasty. The American pistachio is mainly consumed in the domestic market, in the Far East and in Eastern Europe.

The third producing country, Turkey , with about 78,000 tons and a market share of 14%, has a variety very similar to the Iranian long, medium-small sized and of excellent quality, with a very pleasant flavour. Syria produces about 29,000 tons of an excellent pistachio, however consumed almost exclusively in the internal market, where the product is sold fresh and where it is used for the production of oil. The peculiarity of Syria is that of having a very closed market and protected by an import duty of 50%, which effectively prevents the entry of the product from foreign countries. Greek production is about 9,000 tons per year, lower than domestic consumption, which essentially makes it an importing country.