WHATCH OUT WHICH KIND OF PISTACHIO DO YOU EAT, NOT ALL THE TREE SPECIES ARE THE SAME. NOT ALL THE COUNTRIES TREAT FOOD THE SAME WAY

It is an aphrodisiac.
It is high in calories, but helps burn fat.
It does not contain cholesterol and is full of fiber, vitamins and mineral salts.
It stimulates the nervous system, contributes to a good mood and fights stress.

Pistachios differ mainly in color, shape, flavor and geographical origin, with some varieties being more prized and renowned than others. Here are some of the main distinctions:

Pistachio from Bronte (Sicily, Italy):

Color: Deep green, with a characteristic purple skin.
Shape: Elongated and thin, similar to giant rice grains.
Flavor: Sweet, buttery, never salted or toasted.
Origin: Grown on the volcanic slopes of Etna, on soils rich in minerals.
Characteristics: It is renowned for its unique flavor and its organoleptic properties.

Pistachio from Raffadali (Sicily, Italy):

Characteristics: Rich in polyphenols and essential fatty acids, with a slightly different flavor than that of Bronte.
Origin: Sicily, Raffadali area.

Californian pistachios (Kerman, Red Aleppo, Sfax):

Kerman: Most widespread cultivar in California, with a very light kernel.
Red Aleppo: Large fruit, rounded shape.
Sfax: Small seeds but with an excellent flavor.

Iranian pistachios (Ohadi, Jandaghi, Harati, etc.):

Ohadi: One of the most common and marketed varieties.

The green pistachio from Bronte is produced by a very particular and very long-lived plant: the Pistacia vera.

It is no exaggeration to say that the pistachio is a plantation that almost originated with the world: the ancients already cultivated it in Syria, as did the more oriental populations. The plant was introduced in Sicily by Lucius Vitellus (Roman governor of Syria) around 20-30 AD. It is Sicily that is responsible for a more massive cultivation: around 900 AD, in fact, when the Arabs landed in the Sicilian territory, they decided to cultivate the pistachio taking advantage of the more favorable climate compared to other countries. The chosen place was Bronte, a small village on the slopes of Etna, at an altitude between 300 and 900 m.

But why exactly there? With its lava soil, fertilized by constant volcanic ash, it was possible to favor a production of the truly unique fruit, not only in taste but also in appearance. With its hot and dry climate, in fact, combined with a lava soil rich in minerals, it became easy to generate a fruit with inestimable organoleptic properties.

Bronte DOP green pistachio: how it is grown

The cultivation of Bronte green pistachio follows very precise rules. As previously mentioned, the uniqueness of this fruit lies entirely in the territory in which it is grown, that is, on the slopes of Etna. Here, the trees grow very naturally, even if somewhat slowly. In even years, there is then the so-called debudding process: the flowering buds are manually removed in order to facilitate the harvest in the following year. Afterwards, the pistachio reaches its ripening stage around August/September, in odd years. The color of the husk becomes white and that is the signal that the fruit can finally be harvested.