Pistachio Nuts

Pistachio Nuts

A little known fact about the Pistachio nut is that it actually produces its own salt.The pistachio

is a member of the cashew family.Pistachio is a desert plant, and is highly tolerant of saline soil.

It has been reported to grow well when irrigated with water having 3,000–4,000 ppm of soluble salts.

Pistachio trees are fairly hardy in the right conditions, and can survive temperatures ranging

between -10 °C (14 °F) in winter and 48 °C (118 °F) in summer. Pistachio trees can be found in

regions of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Xinjiang (China), Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, India, Egypt, Italy (Sicily), Uzbekistan, Afghanistan (especially in the provinces

of Samangan and Badghis), and the United States, specifically in California.The shell of the pistachio

is naturally a beige color, but it is sometimes dyed red or green in commercial pistachios. Originally,

dye was applied by importers to hide stains on the shells caused when the seeds were picked by hand.

Most pistachios are now picked by machine and the shells remain unstained, making dyeing unnecessary

except to meet ingrained consumer expectations.The fat profile of pistachios is roughly 14% saturated

fat, 54% monounsaturated fat and 32% polyunsaturated fat.