Pistachios

part of: Pistachio

Pistachios are the seeds of the Pistacia vera tree, native to Central Asia and the Middle East. They are easily recognised by their partially split shell and vivid green kernel, and have a uniquely sweet, slightly resinous flavour that sets them apart from other nuts.

Pistachios are eaten as a snack — roasted and salted in the shell — and are a key ingredient in many cuisines. They feature prominently in Middle Eastern sweets like baklava, Turkish delight, and halva, and are widely used in ice cream, biscuits, and savoury dishes. Chopped pistachios make an excellent garnish for everything from lamb to pavlova.

Australia grows a small domestic pistachio crop, mainly in the Riverina and Sunraysia regions, though most pistachios sold here are imported from the United States or Iran. They are available raw, roasted, salted, or flavoured.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Pistachio trees are grown in hot, dry climates and take several years to begin bearing fruit. The nuts grow in grape-like clusters and are harvested mechanically by shaking the trees when the shells have naturally split. After harvest, the nuts are hulled to remove the fleshy outer covering, then dried to reduce moisture content. They are sorted by whether the shell has split open — a sign of ripeness — and may be roasted and salted before packaging.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 579kcal
Protein 20.5g
Carbs 20.7g
Fat 45g
Fibre 7g Sugar 0g
Mass Distribution

1 RACC is about 30 g — roughly 170 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.42kg
Freshwater ≈4134.02L
Land ≈12.92m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

snacking and pastry nut

Goes well with
rose water honey chocolate cardamom saffron
Classic dishes
  • Baklava
  • Pistachio Ice Cream
  • Knafeh
  • Pistachio Halva

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

Analytical (Atwater Imputation)

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromPistachio, nut goes well withrose water goes well withhoney goes well withcardamom goes well withsaffron shares a sourcePistachio Butter shares a sourcePistachio Milk shares a sourcePistachio Oil
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