Pistachio nuts during ancient times

Pistachio has been part of the human diet at least since the late Paleolithic era. The nuts of Pistacia vera were known in Persia as pisteh, from which the name pistachio is derived. Pistacia lentiscus, the ‘mastic tree’ one of the other Pistacia species, has been cultivated since ancient times in Greece and the Greek island of Chios as a source of mastic.

The species was first cultivated about 3000 years ago in Persia. From there the plant spread in Roman times throughout the rest of the Mediterranean region.

Pistachios grew wild in the high desert region during Biblical times. The Queen of Sheba was especially fond of pistachio nuts and is said to have monopolized the limited pistachio output of Assyria for herself and her court favorites.

A passion for pistachios was also exemplified by Nebuchadnezzar, the ancient king of Babylon. It is said that in his hanging gardens he had planted pistachio trees.

Akbar the Great, a Mogul Emperor, would hold royal feasts that were fit for a king, He usually served chickens that had been fed pistachio nuts for at least six to eight weeks to enhance their flavor.

According to Pliny, the pistachio was introduced to Italy from Syria during the reign of Tiberius, early in the first century AD. It was brought by Vitellius, father of the emperor, who served in the Levant between 35 and 39 AD. Subsequently its cultivation spread to other Mediterranean countries.
Pistachio nuts during ancient times

Pistachio in America

The pistachio began as a wild tree, probably in Asia Minor where Neolithic peoples latched on to its grapelike clusters of red-hulled fruit and learned to like the meat they found inside the hard ivory kernels.

The United States was first introduced to the pistachio in 1854 when Charles Mason a seed distributor for experimental plantings, brought some trees to California. The first pistachio seeds were planted in California and several southern states, but the trees did not thrive.

The nuts became popular during the 1930s, when pistachio were imported from Turkey by American traders, primarily for US citizens of Middle Eastern origin.  The nuts were sold to immigrant groups and distributed through vending machines.

Many recipes using pistachio published in American cookbooks after the beginning of the twentieth century. They were largely sold to immigrant groups and distributed through vending machines.

In 1929 William E. Whitehouse, an American plant scientist, planted pistachio seeds from Iran in California’s San Joaquin Valley where they thrived. He convinced that the state was ideally suited for growing pistachio.

He wondered around Persian plantations, dusty village markets and bazaars for six months, collecting distinctive nut seeds.

He came back with twenty pounds of carefully selected seeds, and germinated them in 1930 at the Chico Plant Introduction Station.

Pistachio was only developed on a large scale in the 1970s. In 1976, the first major crop of pistachio nuts was harvested in California which, in the early 2000s, was the world’s second largest producer.
Pistachio in America

Origin of pistachio nuts

Pistachio is the only commercially edible nut among the 11 species in the genus Pistachia. Pistachia vera L is by far the most economically important and a member of the Anacardiaceae or cashew family.

The first archaeological findings date back to 6760 BC in the Paleozoic period - in near settlements in the Neolith – in the territory of the present Jordan. Pistachios grew wild in the high desert regions during Biblical times.

Pistachios were soon considered food for the rich and the chosen. The word pistachio appears to derive from the Zendor Avestan (ancient Persian language) pista-psitak and is cognate to the modern Persian word Peste.

They probably come from the Middle East, Persia and western Asia, where they used to grow wildly in high positioned desert regions. The history of pistachio nuts reflects their ‘royal character’ endurance and pride.

Fine pistachio are said to have been a favorite delicacy of the Queen of Sheba who confiscated all Syrian deliveries for herself and for her royal court.

Pistachio trees were planted in the gardens of King Merodach-Baladan of Babylon around the 8th century. In the 2nd century, Nicander found pistachio in Susa, a village in south-western Iran close to the border with Iraq.

The tree was introduced into Europe at the beginning of the Christian era. In the 1st century, Poseidonius recorded cultivated pistachios in Syria and they probably introduced from Anatolia and thence into Italy towards the year 800, subsequently into Spain.

Pistachio has been spread eastward from its center and was reported in China the 10th century AD.

Pistachio was introduced into the USA in 1853-1854. This royal nut was imported by American traders in the 1880s, primarily for US citizens of Middle Eastern origin.
Origin of pistachio nuts