15 Ways to Enjoy Sicilian Pistachios 💚

The pistachio is a member of the cashew nut family and is a small tree originating from the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food and have a distinctive green colour and unique salty sweet taste.

Pistachio trees grow best and produce the most nuts in an arid semi-desert climate with long, dry, hot summers, low humidity and cool but not freezing winters. During the growing season pistachio trees thrive on heat. Summer temperatures of 37℃ produce large quantities of the best nuts which means that Sicily is the perfect environment to grow them and with its fertile volcanic soil some say that Sicily produces the best Pistachios in the world, which are known locally as "Sicily's Green Gold".

Nature decides when it is time to harvest pistachios but generally pistachios are harvested in Sicily in late August and September. The trees usually flower in March.

It is thought that pistachio trees were introduced to Europe in the 1st Century AD by the Romans.

Pistachios are super healthy and have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory traits. They can help lower your chance of cardiovascular disease. They are also bursting with the fibre, minerals and unsaturated fat that can help keep your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol in check.

The nuts take about seven years to mature after the trees are planted. When pistachios are ripe harvesters use devices to shake the trees and allow the nuts to fall to the ground to be caught in containers in a similar way of harvesting almonds and olives with nets. Within 24 hours of being harvested the outer hull is mechanically removed leaving the nuts in their shells and then they are dried for 3 to 4 days in the Sicilian sun.

The pistachio is a nut much loved by Sicilians and in Sicilian dialect the pistachio is called "frastuca" and the name of the tree is "frastucara". The pistachio tree is not very tall and looks slightly tangled with shiny green leaves.

Sicily is home to the worlds most famous variety, the pistachio Verde di Bronte (Green Pistachio of Bronte). Centred around the town of Bronte, which sits under the shadows on Mount Etna, the pistachio trees grow across some 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) on the slopes of our active volcano. The pistachios of Bronte are so precious that they need police protection to stop people stealing them. Although Bronte pistachios account for just 1% of global production they are the most expensive.

Bronte is a town in the Province of Catania and is situated approximately 16 kilometres west-northwest of Etna. Its economy relies mostly on farming particularly because of the pistachio nut. Bronte's name derives from that of one of the Cyclopes in Greek mythology and it means "The Thunderer". As some of you might know legend says that the Cyclopes lived under Mount Etna. In 1799 King Ferdinand III created Bronte as a Duchy and rewarded Admiral Horatio Nelson, of the British Royal Navy, with the title of Duke for the help he had provided him in suppressing the revolution in Naples and so recovering his throne. As well as being made a Duke, Nelson was also given Castello di Maniace, known now as Nelson's Castle', which at the time was the remains of a Benedictine monastery.

The Bronte pistachio harvest is every two years and is done in odd years. The pistachios are then either used to be eaten as snacks, processed into a sweet cream or pesto, or processed for other culinary uses. As I mentioned before Sicilians are very proud of and love their pistachios and know how to put them into good use in their dishes and desserts.

There is also a festival dedicated to pistachios in Bronte in Autumn where you can taste and savour products made with this delightful fruit. The festival date varies but usually takes place at the end of September or the beginning of October.

I love pistachios and so here are 15 ways I like to enjoy them in Sicily:

Arancini

A Sicilian fast-food treat, available in bars and from street food vendors. Arancini are balls of rice that are stuffed with a filling then rolled in breadcrumbs and finally deep fried. The most traditional filling is a meaty tomato ragu but I personally cannot resist them with a salmon and pistachio filling as a starter in one on of our favourite local restaurants in Giardini Naxos, Trattoria Antonio. These special arancini are like a little piece of heaven in my mouth and be warned they sell out quickly.

Cheese

When I go shopping my favourite counter at the supermarket is the cheese counter. Life in Sicily is great and Sicilian cheese makes it even better. There are lots of different infused cheeses and I love cheese laced with peppercorns but cheese with pistachios tastes like it has been created from another realm.

Pesto

Pesto is a sauce originating from the northern city of Genoa. It traditionally consists of crushed garlic, pine nuts, basil and an Italian hard cheese. Sicilian pesto known as "Pesto alla Trapanese" is made with tomatoes and almonds but have you tried pesto made with Sicilian pistachios? Put buying a jar of this delicious pesto on your "Must take one back home with me" list.

Swordfish Involtini

Involtini are to be found on almost every restaurant menu in Sicily. They are slices of meat or fish or even aubergine which are wrapped around a delicious breadcrumb, cheese and herb stuffing and on occasion you will find them rolled around in ground pistachios for an outer coating.

Trofie with Pistachios and Speck

One of my favourite dishes at Ristorante Pippo Lupo di Mare in our town is Pasta with Pistachio and Speck. Speck is a dry cured, lightly smoked ham which is delicious served in a creamy sauce topped with pistachios that brings out the taste of the speck perfectly.

Linguine with Red Prawns and Pistachio

This crustacean of great value can be found offshore in the deep crystal clear waters of Mazara del Vallo on the west coast of the island. Its name comes from the typical coral red colour that distinguishes it from other species. These red prawns have an exquisite unique taste and an unforgettable fragrance.

Gelato

Gelato is Italian for ice cream, this delicate frozen treat comes in a variety of delicious mouth watering flavours and is the essence of Italian culture. Did you know that the most popular Gelato flavour in Sicily is pistachio? I don't know why do you?

Pistachio Cream

Pistachio cream is often made of about 50% pulverised pistachio paste, milk, butter and sugar. Other recipes use egg yolks and vanilla to make something closer to a pastry cream. It is used much in the same way as Nutella or used when making cakes, but I will let you into a little secret, grab yourself a jar in Sicily and spread it onto some British digestive biscuits.

Torroncini

Torroncini is nougat and is favoured by Sicilians at Christmas. They come in a variety of flavours including citrus, hazelnut and of course pistachio. Extra special torroncini is covered in a green pistachio flavoured chocolate. Are you dribbling yet?

Cannoli

Cannoli are one of Sicily's most famous sweet treats and desserts. They are lightly fried pastry shells that are wrapped around a tube which are then masterfully filled with sweetened ricotta. Each end of a cannolo is decorated in either chocolate or citrus peel but I prefer mine dipped in, yes you guess it, pistachio.

Semifreddo

Semifreddo means "half cold" and this dessert is more like a frozen mousse with a nutty flavour. A semifreddo is usually a combination of nuts, cream, sugar and eggs and it does not need churning. Pistachios give this dessert a wonderful flavour and texture.

Granita

The Granita was created by the Arabs who looking to quench their thirst in the Sicilian heat ate snow from Mount Etna flavoured with lemons from the slopes of the volcano. These days there are many more flavours to choose from including pistachio.

Lava Cake

This modern dessert is also known as molten cake because as you cut through it the decadent gooey pistachio cream centre oozes out just like the lava that flows down the slopes of Mount Etna.

Pistachio Brittle

Not to be confused with the nougat version, Torrone di Pistachio (Pistachio Brittle) is similar to "Cubaita", which is a traditional sweet made with sesame seeds from Arabic rule. Similar to peanut brittle the torrone is made by caramelising sugar with the nuts. The thick syrupy mixture is poured onto a marble slab and flattened and as soon as it hardens it is cut into strips or squares.

As a Snack

Of course one of the best ways to enjoy pistachios is to just simply eat the nuts on their own and I enjoy mine with a glass of Sicilian white wine in the evening on our roof terrace in the shadow of Mount Etna. I simply give the shell a crack between my fingers and give it a sharp twist to pop the pistachio shell open and pop it into my mouth and enjoy the taste of an amazing volcanic product that Etna has helped produce with her fertile earth.

There are many more ways to enjoy Sicilian pistachios including liqueurs and breakfast pastries even in a tiramisu !!!!

Which is your favourite way to enjoy them?

Let me know !!!!!

If you wish to taste some delicious Pistachio products in my town, Giardini Naxos, I recommend a visit to Melanina Sicilian Experience at No 40 Lungomare Tysandros for Food Tasting www.melanina.eu

Photos are mine own @whitealmondsicily

Cover photo credit: Google Images

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