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Friday 3 March 2017

Pistachio

The pistachio is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East.

A pistachio tree can reach up to 10 metres (33 ft) in height, and can produce approximately 50 kilograms (110 lbs) of nuts over a period of two years.


Pistachios are in the same family as poison ivy.

Pistachios used to almost always be sold coated with a deep red dye, to hide harmlessly but unattractively splotchy hulls. Discolored hulls is no longer an issue with better harvesting technology, allowing today's pistachios to be sold without dye.

Pistachio nuts are highly flammable when stored in large quantities, and are prone to self-heating and spontaneous combustion. This is due to a chemical reaction that continues to take place in the nuts even after they are harvested.

It is believed The Queen of Sheba, who famously bought a caravan of valuable gifts for the Israelite King Solomon, loved pistachios. In fact, she demanded that the entire region’s pistachio harvest be set aside for her.

U.S. is the second largest pistachio producer behind Iran.

98% of all pistachios produced in the U.S. are grown in California.

National Pistachio Day is observed in the U.S. on February 26, 2021

Pistachios are expensive because the trees take up to 20 years to reach peak production, and are "biennial-bearing", meaning a light harvest every other year.


China is the top pistachio consumer worldwide, with annual consumption of 80,000 tons, while the United States consumes 45,000 tons.

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