Pistachio 40584 224874833 2008-07-10T20:11:52Z Chris Capoccia 286058 revert. misplaced modifier. ice cream is not a confection. :''This article is about the tree; for the Pistachio microkernel, see [[L4 microkernel family]].'' {{Taxobox | name = Pistachio | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | image = Pistacia vera Kerman.jpg | image_caption = Pistachio with ripening fruit | regnum = [[Plant]]ae | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Sapindales]] | familia = [[Anacardiaceae]] | genus = ''[[Pistacia]]'' | species = '''''P. vera''''' | binomial = ''Pistacia vera'' | binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]] | origin = [[Iran]]}} {{nutritionalvalue | name=Pistachio nuts, dry roasted, w/o salt | kJ= 2391 | protein= 21.35 g | fat= 45.97 g | carbs= 27.65 g | fiber= 10.3 g | sugars= 7.81 g | glucose= 0.23 g | fructose= 0.13 g | iron_mg= 4.2 | opt1n=[[Manganese]] 1.275 mg | opt1v= | calcium_mg= 110 | magnesium_mg= 120 | phosphorus_mg= 485 | potassium_mg= 1042 | zinc_mg= 2.3 | vitC_mg= 2.3 | pantothenic_mg= 0.513 | vitB6_mg= 1.274 | folate_ug= 50 | thiamin_mg= 0.84 | riboflavin_mg= 0.158 | niacin_mg= 1.425 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }} The '''pistachio''' (''Pistacia vera'' L., ''[[Anacardiaceae]]''; sometimes placed in ''Pistaciaceae'') is a small [[tree]] up to 10 m tall, native to mountainous regions of [[Iran]], [[Turkmenistan]] and western [[Afghanistan]]. It has [[deciduous]] [[pinnate]] [[leaf|leaves]] 10–20 cm long. The plants are [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with separate male and female trees. The [[flower]]s are [[apetalous]] and [[unisexual]], and borne in [[panicle]]s. The [[fruit]] is a [[drupe]], containing an elongated [[seed]] (a [[nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses|nut]] in the culinary sense, but not a true [[nut (fruit)#Botanical definitions|botanical nut]]) with a hard, whitish shell and a striking kernel which has a mauvish skin and light green flesh, with a distinctive flavour. When the fruit ripens, the husk changes from green to an autumnal yellow/red and the shells split partially open (see photo). This is known as [[Dehiscence (botany)|dehiscence]], and happens with an audible pop. Each pistachio nut weighs around 1 [[gram]],{{Fact|date=June 2008}} and each pistachio tree averages around 50 kg of nuts, or around 50,000, every two years.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nugent |first=Jeff |coauthors=Julia Boniface |title=Permaculture Plants: A Selection |accessdate=2008-06-17 |date=[[2005-03-30]] |publisher=Permanent Publications |isbn=978-1856230292 |pages=41 |chapter=Pistachio Nuts |chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=40n-Z_8ihZMC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&source=web&ots=Meq7HLdTKL&sig=hEL-gmE8vR8arOcTj_Hmse7m2dQ }}</ref> Pistachios (as part of the ''pistacia'' genus) have existed for about 80 million years.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Parfitt |first=Dan E. |coauthors=Maria L. Badenes |year=1997 |month=July |title=Phylogeny of the genus ''Pistacia'' as determined from analysis of the chloroplast genome |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]] |volume=94 |issue=15 |pages=7987–7992 |url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=21542 |accessdate=2008-06-17 |doi=10.1073/pnas.94.15.7987 |pmid=9223300}}</ref> ==History== {{unreferencedsection|date=June 2008}} Pistachio is often confused with some of the other nine species in the genus ''[[Pistacia]]'', such as [[terebinth|''P. terebinthus'']] and ''[[Pistacia lentiscus|P. lentiscus]]''. These species have a very different distribution, in the Mediterranean and southwest Asia, and have much smaller nuts, lacking the hard shell of ''P. vera''. Their turpentine-flavoured nuts were a popular food in antiquity. Finds of ''Pistacia'' from pre-classical archaeological sites, or references in pre-classical texts, always refer to one of these other species (often ''P. terebinthus''). Pistachio (in the sense of ''P. vera'') was first cultivated in Western Asia. It reached the Mediterranean world by way of central [[Iran]], where it has long been an important crop. Although known to the Romans, the pistachio nut appears not to have reached the Mediterranean or most of the Near East in any quantity before medieval times. More recently pistachio has been cultivated in [[California]] (first commercial harvest in 1976) and [[Australia]]. The word pistachio is a [[Persian language|Persian]] loanword, coming into English through Italian, and is a cognate to the Modern Persian word پسته ''Peste'. ==Cultivation and uses== [[Image:Pistachios th.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Pistachio nuts in and out of the shell]] The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and [[sodium chloride|salted]], and are also used in [[ice cream]] and confections such as [[baklava]]. In July 2003, the [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) approved the first qualified health claim specific to nuts lowering the risk of heart disease: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces (42.5g) per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qhcnuts2.html |title=Qualified Health Claims: Letter of Enforcement Discretion - Nuts and Coronary Heart Disease (Docket No 02P-0505) |accessdate=2008-06-17 |author=Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements |date=2003-07-23 |publisher=[[Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition]]}}</ref> In research at Pennsylvania State University, pistachios in particular significantly reduced levels of [[Low-density lipoprotein]] in the blood of volunteers.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kay |first=Colin D |coauthors=Sarah K Gebauer, Sheila G West and Penny M Kris-Etherton |year=2007 |month=April |title=Pistachios reduce serum oxidized LDL and increase serum antioxidant levels |journal=The FASEB Journal |volume=21 |issue=6 |pages=A1091-a |url=http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/21/6/A1091-a |accessdate=2008-06-18}}<br/> '''Related news articles:''' *{{cite news |title=Pistachios May Calm Acute Stress Reaction |url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070430155822.htm |work=ScienceDaily |date=2007-05-01 |accessdate=2008-06-17}} *{{cite news |title=Pistachios lower risk of heart disease |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1550195/Pistachios-lower-risk-of-heart-disease.html |work=Telegraph News |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |date=2007-05-02 |accessdate=2008-06-17}}</ref> [[Image:Pistachios.jpg|thumb|200px|right]] On the Greek island of [[Chios]], the husk or flesh of the pistachio fruit surrounding the shell is cooked and preserved in syrup.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} The shell of the pistachio is naturally a beige colour, but it is sometimes [[dye]]d red or green in commercial pistachios. Originally the dye was applied by importers to hide stains on the shells caused when the nuts were picked by hand. However most pistachios are now picked by machine and the shells remain unstained, making dyeing unnecessary (except that some consumers have been led to expect coloured pistachios). Roasted pistachio nuts can be artificially turned red if they are marinated prior to roasting in a salt and strawberry marinade, or salt and citrus salts. The trees are planted in [[orchard]]s, and take approximately seven to ten years to reach significant production. Production is alternate bearing or [[Biennial plant|biennial]] bearing, meaning the harvest is heavier in alternate years. Peak production is reached at approximately 20 years. Trees are usually pruned to size to make the harvest easier. One male tree produces enough pollen for eight to twelve nut-bearing females. Pistachio orchards can be damaged by the [[fungus|fungal]] [[disease]] ''Botryosphaeria'' panicle and shoot blight, which kills the flowers and young shoots. Pistachio trees are fairly hardy in the right conditions, and can survive temperature ranges between −10°C (14°F) in winter to 40°C (104°F) in summer. They need a sunny position and well-drained soil. Pistachio trees do poorly in conditions of high humidity, and are susceptible to root rot in winter if they get too much water and the soil is not sufficiently free draining. Long hot summers are required for proper ripening of the fruit. Bulk container shipments of pistachio nuts are prone to self heating and [[spontaneous combustion]] because of their high fat and low water content.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.containerhandbuch.de/chb_e/scha/index.html?/chb_e/scha/scha_13_06.html |title=13.6 Risk factor Self-heating/Spontaneous combustion |accessdate=2008-06-17 |work=Container Handbook |publisher=GDV}}</ref> ==Diseases== {{Main|List of pistachio diseases}} ==Worldwide production== [[Image:2005pistachio.PNG|thumb|right|Pistachio output in 2005]] Share of a total 2005 worldwide production of 501 thousand metric tonnes<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/commodity.html?lang=en&item=223&year=2005 |title=Major Food and Agricultural Commodities and Producers: 2005 Pistachios |accessdate=2008-06-18 |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]]}}</ref>: {|class="wikitable" !Country !Production<br />([[tonne]]s) |- | Iran | align="center"|190 000 |- | U.S. | align="center"|140 000 |- | Turkey | align="center"| 60 000 |- | Syria | align="center"| 60 000 |- | China | align="center"| 34 000 |- | Greece | align="center"| 9 500 |- | Italy | align="center"| 2 400 |- | Uzbekistan | align="center"| 1 000 |- | Tunisia | align="center"| 800 |- | Pakistan | align="center"| 200 |- | Madagascar | align="center"| 160 |- | Kyrgyzstan | align="center"| 100 |- | Morocco | align="center"| 50 |- | Cyprus | align="center"| 15 |- | Mexico | align="center"| 7 |- | Mauritius | align="center"| 5 |} [[California]] produces almost all U.S. pistachios, and about half of these are exported, mainly to [[China]], [[Japan]], [[Europe]] and [[Canada]]. Almost all California pistachios are of the [[cultivar]] 'Kerman'. The tree is grafted to a [[rootstock]] when the rootstock is one year old. Only a few years after California growers started growing pistachios, the 1979 crisis in Iran would give stronger commercial impetus to the American-based pistachio nut industry. Previous to that time, most Westerners were familiar with only the slightly smaller, deeply red-hued (dyed) nuts produced mainly in Iran, where it is the second largest export after oil. {{Fact|date=October 2007}} ==Notes and references== {{Reflist}} ==See also== * [[List of culinary nuts]] ==External links== {{commons|Pistacia vera|Pistachio}} *[http://www.aftg.org.tr/english.php/ Antep Pistachio Promotion Group] *[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?28655 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Pistacia vera''] *[http://www.pistachios.org/ California Pistachio Commission] *[http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c20oa.html Nutrition facts] *[http://fxcuisine.com/default.asp?Display=94 Pistachio Ice Cream From Scratch with step-by-step pictures] *[http://www.pistachiohealth.com/ PistachioHealth.com - Pistachio Health and Nutrition Information] *[http://www.kara.co.ir Kara Food Machinery] [[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]] [[Category:Flora of Central Asia]] [[Category:Persian loanwords]] [[Category:Pistacia]] [[Category:Trees of Iran]] [[Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate]] [[ar:فستق]] [[ca:Pistatxer]] [[da:Pistacie]] [[de:Pistazie]] [[et:Harilik pistaatsia]] [[el:Φιστικιά]] [[es:Pistacia vera]] [[eo:Pistakujo]] [[fa:پسته]] [[fr:Pistache]] [[hsb:Prawa pistacija]] [[it:Pistacia vera]] [[he:פיסטוק]] [[nl:Pistache]] [[ja:ピスタチオ]] [[pl:Pistacja właściwa]] [[pt:Pistache]] [[ru:Фисташковое дерево]] [[sl:Pistacija]] [[sr:Пистаћ]] [[fi:Pistaasipähkinä]] [[sv:Pistasch]] [[th:พิสทาชิโอ]] [[tr:Antepfıstığı]] [[zh:开心果]]