· Originally from the Middle East, pistachios were considered such a delicacy by the Queen of Sheba that she hoarded the entire Assyrian supply for herself and her court. The nuts were imported by American traders in the 1880's and soon became popular. California didn't produce its first commercial crop of pistachios until 1976, but within 10 years the state had become the second largest pistachio producer in the world.
· Remember when pistachios were red? The color was an attempt to hide stains on the shells of imported nuts caused by the hulls being left on too long after picking. Today, Western growers hull pistachios almost immediately after harvesting, producing nuts with beautiful ivory shells. (A few processors still dye them, but only because some consumers prefer the red color.)
· Roasted, chopped pistachios are delicious tossed into a pasta salad, mixed into a tomato-based pasta sauce, scattered over glazed carrots or sweet potatoes, or sprinkled on top of vanilla ice cream drizzled with honey
·Pistachios are among the leanest nuts, with 172 calories and 15 grams fat per ounce-78 percent of calories from fat
Deamer 12/7/96