Persian Pistachio
Iran is the biggest pistachio producer and exporter in the world with a production of more than 115,000 Metric Ton.
The pistachio , a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food.
Pistacia vera often is confused with other species in the genus Pistacia that are also known as pistachio. These other species can be distinguished by their geographic distributions (in the wild) and their seeds which are much smaller and have a soft shell.
Iran is the biggest pistachio producer and exporter in the world with a production of more than 115,000 Metric Ton
Pistachio is a desert plant and is highly tolerant of saline soil. It has been reported to grow well when irrigated with water having 3,000–4,000 ppm of soluble salts. Pistachio trees are fairly hardy in the right conditions and can survive temperatures ranging between −10 °C (14 °F) in winter and 48 °C (118 °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.
Pistachio Trees
Pistachio Trees are planted in orchards and take approximately seven to ten years to reach significant production. They produce seeds that are widely consumed as food worldwide. The trees usually grow up to 8 meters tall and can tolerate different extremes in temperature and can survive without water for long periods of time. Pistachio trees usually grow in the areas that summers are long, hot and dry, and the winters are moderately cold. Pistachio trees are planted in the spring because it gives them time to grow during the summer. Pistachio trees start having fruit in the fourth or fifth year after budding they don’t become fully productive until they are more than a decade old. There are more than 10 species of pistachio nut trees but only Pistacia vera L is being cultivated commercially.
Nutritional information
Pistachios are a nutritionally dense food. In a 100 gram serving, pistachios provide 562 calories and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value or DV) of protein, dietary fiber, several dietary minerals and the B vitamins, thiamin and especially vitamin B6 at 131% DV (table).
Pistachios are a good source (10–19% DV) of calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B5, folate, vitamin E, and vitamin K .
The fat profile of raw pistachios consists of saturated fats, monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fatty acids include palmitic acid (10% of total) and stearic acid(2%). Oleic acid is the most common monounsaturated fatty acid (51% of total fat) and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, is 31% of total fat. Relative to other tree nuts, pistachios have a lower amount of fat and calories but higher amounts of potassium, vitamin K, γ-tocopherol, and certain phytochemicals such as carotenoids and phytosterols.
Kerman and other provinces of Iran Produce the Best Pistachios in the World
The Persian pistachios (also called “Pesteh” in Farsi), is known worldwide due to its quality, unrivalled taste and maximum nutrition and the Kerman province in Iran is one of the best places in the world for growing pistachios and provides over half of Iran’s pistachios production. City of Sirjan and Rafsanjan are famous Pistachio producers in Kerman province.
Other provinces such as Yazd, Khorasan, Fars, Semnan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Qazvin, Isfahan and Qom are also well known for the production of pistachios. Some of the most frequent cultivars in Iran are Mirhavy, Momtaz, Owhadi, Safeed, Wahedi, Sefideh-Montaz, Imperiale de Dameghan, Ravzine and Bademi.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistachio
http://www.persiansarenotarabs.com/persian-pistachios/
