Posted on 04/16/2021 4:52:07 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Not long ago, you could find bright red or pink pistachios in almost every country store or grocery market. In fact, in some areas, these unnaturally red pistachios were the only pistachios available. But if you're under the age of thirty, you may have never seen a red pistachio. So what were these red pistachios and where did they go? It's a more interesting story than you may think.
What Are Red Pistachios?
The pistachio nutshells that surround the naturally pale green nutmeat are naturally a creamy light beige color. So where did that deep reddish-pink color come from? Food historians have conflicting explanations, but they all start with red food coloring.
One story says that the tradition of dying pistachios originated with a Syrian importer named Zaloom, who dyed his pistachios red to distinguish them from his competitors. Another story holds pistachios were dyed to mask mottled markings, a natural result of the drying process, and other imperfections to make them look more palatable to consumers. Today, this story is the one most food historians agree upon. While the mottled, naturally-dried shells have no effect on the flavor of the nutmeat itself, consumers are known to judge a book (or pistachio) by its cover. As a result, there is a long history of food merchants altering their products and produce to make them more palatable. The tradition remains alive and well today in other areas of food sales.
What Happened to Red Pistachios?
The disappearance of red-dyed pistachios can be directly traced to the growth of domestic pistachio production in the United States. Before the 1970s, pistachios were imported from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries to the United States. In addition to mottled markings on the pistachio shells from drying, these imported pistachios generally had a host of unappetizing stains and discolorations due to traditional harvesting methods in which the pistachios were not hulled and washed immediately after harvest. So Middle Eastern producers and exporters took to dying their product red. The few American pistachio producers at the time followed their imported counterparts and began to dye their product as well, if only because Americans were used to seeing these bright red-pink nuts.
But the 1980s saw a decline in imported pistachios as an embargo on Iranian pistachios was enforced, and further economic sanctions on Iran levied on and off for years. The number of American pistachio producers increased in response and began to increase the domestic supply of pistachios quickly. The new mechanized harvesting processes used by American producers now pick, hull, and dry the nuts before the shell can become stained, rendering the need to dye the nuts to hide imperfections unnecessary. Today, 98% of pistachios sold in the United States are produced in California, and the U.S. is the second-largest producer of pistachios after Iran.
Can You Still Find Red Pistachios?
Though most millennials have never seen a red pistachio, they do still exist, but generally as a novelty item or during the Christmas holidays. But we're perfectly happy to stick to the more natural pistachio color palette. Not only can we avoid red-stained fingers and mouths, but it is on trend with the movement to avoid unnatural additives and dyes in our food. We say that it's a win-win.
I remember those pistachio machines in the stores in Istanbul in the fifties. The pistachios were pink and heavily salted and I loved them. I believe they were 10 kurush for a child size handful. I loved them. I was grown before I knew that pistachios were not naturally pink.
Leme guess....RED #2.
My Dad would buy us red pistachios in the 50s and 60s as a treat. I remember the red fingers when you were done eating them. It wasn’t until I moved to California in 1973 that I realized that real pistachio shells were a tan color. I always thought they grew red!
Very cool. If only I could afford to eat as many as I'd like.
“The disappearance of red-dyed pistachios can be directly traced to the growth of domestic pistachio production in the United States.”
I guess you actually red the excerpt? But what caused production in the USA to soar? Iran!
The excerpt explains: “But the 1980s saw a decline in imported pistachios as an embargo on Iranian pistachios was enforced, and further economic sanctions on Iran levied on and off for years.”
The most heavenly aroma in the world! Tobacco curing in a barn! Unfortunately curing tobacco does not taste like it smells.
I think the red ones are more likely to be found along the east coast than the heartlands. I never see the red ones in the heartlands but I did see them back east a few years ago, and bought some.
I definitely like the red ones better. There is a difference in taste. Course now, even though they are mostly white, you can get them in different flavors such as spicy or garlic. I miss the red ones.
they are from Iran
My Granny always had those.
I remember trying one (with the shell still on 😱), as a kid, wondering what the big deal was.
Love pistachios, now. Just enjoyed a pistachio crusted chicken dish, recently.
I remember those! I always thought they were gross!
could be dan snyder bought that team too...
I still chew once in a while - nothing quite like a face full of Beech Nut leaf.
Hi. My name is rlmorel. I am a pistachio addict.
Hi rlmorel!
My dad was a pistachio fanatic, and while he would share some with us, they were...his. No real sharing. But we would sneak into them sometimes, and I remember my dad lining all six of us up one time, and making us all stick out our hands so he could examine them and find the thief!
Heh, we were having a Christmas part at work back in the early nineties, and we had bowls of red pistachos and white pistachios.
Someone wondered why they were red and white like that, and after talking about it for a while, nobody really knew, and we saw on the back of the empty Dole bag: “Questions? Call (800) 888-8888”
So we promptly dialed the number, and when we got the person on a speaker phone, we all began asking questions, and the first one was “Why are they dyed red and white?”
I have found that having the shells on increases the satisfaction of eating them. When I got my hands on the shelled ones, they were not nearly as engaging to eat and I became bored with them!
The red color is an international trade mark of the Iranian nuts that were stopped being imported after the 1979 coup in Iran the US embargo of iranian products. They are still considered the best in the world but the rise of the California growers took over the vacuum left behind in the American market. I think The red color can only be used by Iran per WTO rules like Bordeaux wines can only come from that specific valley in France.
Funny...I always felt that way about coffee.
I never drank it my whole life, and when I was in the USN, they used to get a five gallon tin of coffee for our “Coffee Mess” in our mechanic’s shop on the carrier.
I didn’t drink it because I didn’t like the taste, but...when you pulled that indented circular metal cover off the top of the can...it smelled unbelievable. It was nearly toxically pleasurable, that ground coffee! To me, the taste of the drink never measured up.
All the guys had their own cup up on pegs and they were nasty. They had gunk and grime in them, and to my eye, were evil to look at.
They made me run the Coffee Mess which involved cleaning it every day, stocking everything, and keeping it today. That really grated on me, because I didn’t drink coffee. I argued about it with our Chief, but he made me do it anyway.
So next time I had the duty, when I cleaned up the area, I took down all the cups and cleaned them with the surface cleaner in spray cans we used to clean the outside of the airplanes at sea because there was not enough fresh water to do it.
Boy, were they pissed at me. I thought it was because they tasted the aircraft cleaner (I could have been thrown off the catwalk into the ocean for that) but I had really washed them with soap and water after, so it couldn’t be the taste or smell of the cleaner.
Turns out, they LIKED the crud in their cups. Don’t know why, but they all, to a man, enjoyed a filthy coffee cup! They never held it against me, which I am glad of, because they sure could have.
Fast forward to now, since about the age of 58, I began drinking coffee. One cup a day in the morning. I just could not get going in the morning, and drinking it, to someone who never drank it, was like taking a hit of speed! My productivity would pop!
Heh, NOW it is just a habit for me!
Now I want some.
“Pistachios make a good pesto.”
They do! I use them in lieu of the crazy-expensive Pine Nuts.
I also discovered that Kale makes an awesome Pesto. Add some pistachios (in lieu of the Pepitas) and lemon zest and it’s HEAVENLY!
https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-pesto/
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