Pine nut
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[[Image:StonePine.jpg|250px|thumb|[[Stone Pine]] cone with pine nuts - note two nuts under each cone scale]]
'''Pine nuts''' (piñon) are the edible [[seed]]s of [[pine]]s (family [[Pinaceae]], genus ''Pinus''). About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of value as a human food.<ref name=farjon>Farjon, A. (2005). ''Pines. Drawings and descriptions of the genus Pinus''. Koninklijke Brill ISBN 90-04-13916-8.</ref><ref name=lanner1>Lanner, R. M. (1981). ''The Piñon Pine. A Natural and Cultural History''. University of Nevada Press ISBN 0-87417-066-4.</ref><ref name=lanner2>Lanner, R. M. (1981). ''Made for Each Other. A Symbiosys of Birds and Pines''. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-508903-0.</ref>
==Species and geographic spread==
In [[Europe]], pine nuts come from the [[Stone Pine]] (''Pinus pinea''), which has been cultivated for its nuts for over 6,000 years, and harvested from wild trees for far longer. The [[Swiss Pine]] (''Pinus cembra'') is also used to a very small extent.
In [[Asia]], two species are widely harvested, [[Korean Pine]] (''Pinus koraiensis'') in northeast Asia (the most important species in international trade), and [[Chilgoza Pine]] (''Pinus gerardiana'') in the western [[Himalaya]]. Four other species, [[Siberian Pine]] (''Pinus sibirica''), [[Siberian Dwarf Pine]] (''Pinus pumila''), [[Chinese White Pine]] (''Pinus armandii'') and [[Lacebark Pine]] (''Pinus bungeana''), are also used to a lesser extent.
In [[North America]], the main species are three of the [[pinyon pine]]s, [[Colorado Pinyon]] (''Pinus edulis''), [[Single-leaf Pinyon]] (''Pinus monophylla''), and [[Mexican Pinyon]] (''Pinus cembroides''). The other eight pinyon species are used to a small extent, as are [[Gray Pine]] (''Pinus sabineana''), [[Torrey Pine]] (''Pinus torreyana'') and [[Sugar Pine]] (''Pinus lambertiana''). In the [[United States]], pine nuts are mainly harvested by [[Indigenous people of the Americas|Native American]] tribes; in many areas, they have exclusive rights to the harvest. {{Fact|date=July 2008}}
==Ecology and status==
In the United States, millions of hectares of productive pinyon pine woods have been destroyed due to conversion to [[grazing]] lands, and in China, destructive harvesting techniques (such as breaking off whole branches to harvest the cones) and the removal of trees for [[timber]] have led to losses in production capacity.<ref name=lanner1/>
==Physical characteristics==
[[Image:Pine nuts in various stages.jpg|right|thumb|European Stone Pine nuts (''Pinus pinea'') to be compared with the picture below]]Pine nuts contain (depending on species) between 10–34% [[protein]], with Stone Pine having the highest content.<ref name=lanner1/> They are also a source of [[dietary fibre]]. When first extracted from the pine [[conifer cone|cone]], they are covered with a hard shell (seed coat), thin in some species, thick in others. The nutrition is stored in the large female [[gametophytic]] tissue that supports the developing embryo ([[sporophyte]]) in the centre. Although a [[nut (fruit)|nut]] in the culinary sense, in the [[botany|botanical]] sense pine nuts are seeds; being a [[gymnosperm]], they lack a [[carpel]] (fruit) outside.
The shell must be removed before the pine nut can be eaten. Unshelled pine nuts have a long shelf life if kept dry and refrigerated (at –5 to +2 °C); shelled nuts (and unshelled nuts in warm conditions) deteriorate rapidly, becoming [[Rancidification|rancid]] within a few weeks or even days in warm humid conditions. Pine nuts are commercially available in shelled form, but due to poor storage, these rarely have a good flavour and may be already rancid at the time of purchase.
==In literature and legend==
[[Image:KoreanPineSeeds.jpg|right|thumb|[[Korean Pine]] (''Pinus koraiensis'') pine nuts - unshelled, and shell, above; shelled, below]]In an important Pueblo Indian story, a maiden eats a pine nut given to her by a divine figure and becomes pregnant. The child she bears is the [[Aztec]] conqueror [[Montezuma]]. {{Fact|date=July 2008}}
==Culinary uses==
Pine nuts have been eaten in Europe and Asia since the [[Paleolithic]] period. They are frequently added to [[meat]], [[fish]], and [[vegetable]] [[recipe|dishes]]. In [[Italian language|Italian]] they are called ''pinoli'' or (rarely) ''pignoli''<ref>Locally also ''pinoccoli'' or ''pinocchi''; [[Pinocchio]] means 'pine eye' from 'pino' ('pine') plus 'occhio' ('eye')</ref> and are an essential component of Italian [[pesto]] sauce. The ''pignoli'' cookie, an Italian specialty confection, is made of [[almond]] flour formed into a dough similar to that of a [[macaroon]] and then topped with pine nuts. Pine nuts are also featured in the ''salade landaise'' of [[Cuisine of France|southwestern France]]. Pine nut coffee, known as ''piñón'' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for pine nut), is a speciality found in the southwest United States, especially [[New Mexico]], and is typically a dark roast coffee having a deep, nutty flavour; roasted and lightly salted pine nuts can often be found sold on the side of the road in cities across New Mexico to be used for this purpose. Pine nuts are also used in [[chocolate]]s and desserts such as [[baklava]]. It is also a widely used ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine, reflected in a diverse range of dishes such as [[kibbeh]], sambusek, [[ladies' fingers]] and many others.
Throughout Europe and Middle East the pine nuts used are from ''Pinus pinea'' (Stone Pine). They are easily distinguished from the Asian pine nuts by their more slender shape and more homogeneous flesh. Due to the lower price, Asian pine nuts are also often used, especially in cheaper preparations.Pine nuts contain thiamine, vitamin B1 and protein. Many dieters eat pine nuts because of their proven ability to suppress hunger<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.supplementnews.org/blog/pine_nuts_curb_appetite.html | title=Pine Nuts Curb Appetite | publisher=Supplement News Blog | author=Gavalas, E. | date=9 February 2007 | accessdate=2007-10-06}}</ref>.
===Risks of eating pine nuts===
The eating of pine nuts can cause serious taste disturbances, lasting for days or weeks. The taste disturbance develops one or two days after consumption. A bitter, metallic taste is described. The pine nuts involved are always imported from China, but only a minority of Chinese pine nuts present this problem. Until now it is not clear which pine species is implicated. Concerning the cause, it has been observed that the pine nuts involved typically contain [[triglyceride]]s, formed by 16-18° unsaturated fatty acids. Analysis on pesticide residues and heavy metal did not reveal any contamination.<ref>{{cite journal
| url=http://www.euro-emergencymed.com/pt/re/ejem/fulltext.00063110-200103000-00036.htm
| author=Mostin M.
| journal=Eur J Emerg Med.
| date=March 2001
| volume=8
| issue=1
| pages=76
| title=Taste disturbances after pine nut ingestion
| publisher=Belgian Poison Centre
| accessdate=2008-02-09
| doi=10.1097/00063110-200103000-00036
}}</ref>. Though very unpleasant, there doesn't seem to be a real health concern. The problem can be avoided by not consuming Chinese pine nuts. They can be recognised because they are shorter. The biological species of pine nut is normally not described on the package, however, the pictures of an European and Asian type of pine nuts are given to illustrate the general differences in form that can make the distinction.
==Pine nut oil==
{{main|Pine nut oil}}
Pine nuts can be pressed to extract pine nut oil, which is valued both for its mild, nutty flavour and its health benefits such as appetite suppression and [[antioxidant]] action.
==Other similar seeds==
The large edible seeds of species of the [[Southern Hemisphere]] [[pinophyta|conifer]] genus ''[[Araucaria]]'', notably ''[[Araucaria araucana]]'' (Pehuén) of [[Chile]], ''[[Araucaria bidwillii]]'' (Bunya) of [[Australia]] and ''[[Araucaria angustifolia]]'' (Parana pine) of [[Brazil]], are also often called, although improperly, '''pine nuts'''.
==See also==
* [[List of edible seeds]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Pinaceae]]
[[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]]
[[de:Pinienkern]]
[[et:Seedripähkel]]
[[es:Piñón]]
[[eo:Pinikerno]]
[[fr:Pignon de pin]]
[[ko:잣]]
[[it:Pinolo]]
[[he:צנובר]]
[[la:Nucleus pineus]]
[[nl:Pijnboompit]]
[[ja:松の実]]
[[nn:Russenøtter]]
[[pt:Pinhão]]
[[ro:Pinhão]]
[[ru:Кедровый орех]]
[[sv:Pinjenöt]]
[[tr:Çam fıstığı]]