My first pistachio memories as a youngster were red fingers from opening the shells to get the nut out. You could even use the dye that came off the red shells on your lips like the 'forbidden' lipstick! Pistachio shells were - and some still are - dyed red to cover shell blemishes and to look interesting in the machines that distributed them like gumballs. The majority of these delicious nuts sold in the U.S. came from Iran.
When political turmoil interrupted these imports, production shifted stateside. Beginning in the 1970's, a domestic industry blossomed in California and the method of harvesting, mechanical tree shaking, eliminated damage to the nuts and the need for covering up blemishes with dye. Nowadays, about 98 percent of the domestic crop is produced in the sandy, drier soils of the California hills.
Pistachios have long been a mainstay for on-the-road travelers. Made up mostly of fiber, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, these nuts can last for months without getting rancid. They were the original trail mix of Silk Road traders bringing exotic spices and expensive silk from China to the West. Pistachios (Pistacia vera) are one of the oldest flowering trees, providing nutritious nuts for over 9,000 years.
If you are trying to cut down on the amount of food you eat, try pistachios in the shell. Studies have shown that the effort and time necessary to remove the nutmeat from the shell results in regularly eating 50% fewer nuts than those who ate them already shelled. So, if you're hungry and want a good, nutritious snack, choose pistachios.
Among nuts, pistachios are one of the most nutritious. A one-ounce serving of pistachios, with 49 kernels and 160 calories, gives you a variety of different vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients. They have the same number of calories per ounce as cashews and fewer calories than almonds (170), hazelnuts (180), walnuts (190), macadamias and pecans (200)! Using these same nuts in a comparison chart, pistachios are:
One of the lowest calorie nuts
One of the lowest saturated fat nuts
One of the lowest fat nuts
One of the highest protein nuts
One of the highest fiber nuts (12% of RDA per ounce!)
One of the highest gamma-tocopherol nuts
A good source of phosphorus
A good source of copper
A good source of manganese
A good source of thiamin
The highest potassium nut
The highest vitamin B-6 nut
The highest phytosterol nut
The highest beta-carotene nut
The highest lutein + zeazanthin nut
And … sodium free when unsalted!
Give yourself a boost and consider using these super nuts as a regular part of your diet and snacking pattern. It will help keep you comfortably full and may even help you lose weight!
