Introduction

Pistachios are kind of popular nuts and mostly known by people. Due to their health benefits, people are eager to have them and replace unhealthy snacks with them but in fact they are costly and not anyone can afford buying them regularly. Although pistachios are known for most of us, there are some regions that people may have never seen and heard about pistachios. In this article, it is tried to reply some common and basic questions about pistachios. Various questions, brief and simple replies are mentioned bellow:

 

1. Are pistachios from Iran?

Central Asia, Western Asia, and Iran are the origin of Pistachios. They were hugely used as food, aphrodisiac, and medicine all over the world for a long time. Now Iran is the second top producer and exporter of pistachio worldwide after USA.

 

2. What happens when you eat too many pistachios?

Although pistachios are nutrient nuts and have lots of health benefits, overeating of them, specifically salted or roasted type, may causes some health problems including; gain weight, potential high blood pressure, Allergic reaction, Kidney stone risk, Digestive problems, High manganese risk, Health risk of Pesticides and Insecticides, and Bacterium salmonella risk. Moderate consumption of pistachios has no bad effect on our health.

 

3. Are pistachio shells good for anything?

Pistachio shell can be used as plant drainage. Salted pistachio shells also can deter slugs and snails by being placed around plant base. Mercury emissions pollution can be cleaned up by pistachio shells too.

4. Why are pistachios so expensive?

Pistachio rates depend on many factors such as type, origin, the amount of crop each year, political or economic situations, etc. but the main reason of pistachio high price is full-bearing time. It takes around 15-20 years’ time after planting a tree to reach full-bearing.

 

5. Can pistachios kill you?

Bacterium salmonella is kind of harmful bacteria for our health. if the pistachios are contaminated by bacterium salmonella, they may be fatal for elderly and infants. If pistachios are roasted properly, they are safe to eat as bacterium salmonella can be killed by roasting pistachio properly.

6. Which country has the best pistachios?

Based on statistics in 2017/2018, two top producers of pistachios are US accounted for %47 and Iran %38. US pistachios look nicer than Iran`s but the taste of Iranian pistachios is more delicious than US ones.

 

7. How many pistachios should I eat a day?

One or two handfuls of pistachios (around 1.5 to 3 ounces) is recommended to be eaten per day. More is possible too but overtaking of pistachios may cause some health problems.

 

8. What country is the largest producer of pistachio nuts?

Iran, US, Turkey, China, Syria, Italy, Greece, and Afghanistan are the main producers of pistachios worldwide. More than %80 0f pistachios producing is done by US, Iran, and Turkey.

 

9. What are the best tasting pistachios?

Pistachios are in different flavors such as salty, chilly, vegetable, sumac, lemon-salt, vinegar, etc. Various flavors also can be prepared based on the customers` requests. Choosing the best tasting pistachios depends on anyone’s taste. As an example lemon-salt is popular among people especially with drinking bear. Salty types are also common but high consumption should be avoided for anyone who is suffering from high blood pressure.

10. Are there different types of pistachios?

There are about 90 different types of pistachios in Iran. They mostly have local names. Most common types are as bellow:

• Iranian long pistachios including: Akbari, Momtaz, Badami, Ahmad Aghaei.
• Iranian round Pistachios including: Kaleh Ghouchi (Jumbo), Fandoghi
• Green kernel and peeled pistachio
• Slivered pistachio

11. How much do pistachios cost?

On the whole pistachios are the costliest nuts. The price of pistachios depends on the type, size, origin, and some unpredictable situations. There are various types of pistachios and also different prices.

 

12. Why is a pistachio green?

The green color of plants, vegetables, and also pistachios comes from chlorophyll. It is a natural pigment found in leaves too. The climate, growing conditions and harvesting time also effect the pistachio color.

 

13. Where did the word pistachio come from?

“From Italian pistacchio (1590s), from Latin pistācium (“pistachio”), from Ancient Greek πιστάκιον (pistákion), from πιστάκη (pistákē, “pistachio tree”). Of Iranian origin. Compare Kurdish pisteq, Persian پسته‎ (pista), Middle Persian pstk’ (pistag, “pistachio nut”), Old Armenian պիստակ (pistak) (from Iranian).”

 

14. Can you eat raw pistachios?

Raw pistachios are nutrient-packed nuts which can be used as a snack. they are good source of minerals, fiber, protein and vitamins. You can replace unhealthy snacks with pistachios.

15. Do pistachios contain melatonin?

Pineal gland in our body produces hormone named melatonin. Their function is regulating internal biological clock in our body and also controlling daily sleep cycles. Pistachios are great source of melatonin, about 660 nanograms in per gram, more than other foods.

 

16. What are pistachio sizes?

Pistachios are in different sizes. The number of pistachios-in-shell in one ounce is the criteria for pistachio sizes. There are various sizes, including: 18/20, 20/22, 22/24, 24/26, 26/28, 28/30, 30/32, 32/34. As an example, pistachio size 18/20 indicates that there are 18 to 20 pistachios in one ounce. The less number pistachios in an ounce, the higher quality of pistachios and bigger size.

17. What is the best time to eat pistachios?

It is recommended to take pistachios in the evenings because they are good source of energy and boost up our stamina and immunity after a hard workday.

 

18. Can you eat pistachio skin?

Pistachio nuts are covered by a thin skin which is edible. Sometimes pistachio kernels can be used as an ingredient to make food, sweet, ice-cream, etc.  in that cases skin should be removed.

 

19. Are pistachios poisonous?

Aflatoxin, as a dangerous chemical may causes some health problems. It can be found in some mistreated and poorly cultivated pistachios and led to disease breakout in some regions.

 

20. Do pistachios help you sleep?

Pistachios are fully packed with protein, vitamin B6, and magnesium. All these substances are useful for better sleep. Also pistachios are good source of melatonin that regulates sleep.

 

Conclusion

Most common questions people may face about pistachios are answered in this article. It is tried to give simple and brief replies to these queries in order to increase general information about pistachios.