Pistachios have been around since the late Stone Age: Archaeological findings indicate that humans have been collecting and using them since as early as 7,000 B.C. Native to the Middle East, these flowering nut trees spread within the Mediterranean area and were deliberately cultivated in the ancient world.

This treasured delicacy was the source of legends in the ancient world: Legend has it that the Queen of Sheba decreed pistachios an exclusively royal food, and even forbade commoners from growing the nut for personal use. There are reports that other ancient kings, such as the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar dynasty, had pistachio trees planted in their gardens. According to Pliny, the Consul Lucius Vitellius introduced the pistachio to Rome in the first century B.C. And so began the successful career of this delicious nut.

Nutritional facts

Pistachios were used as a dying agent in ancient times - and even today, textiles in India are dyed using pistachio colouring. The pistachio's high nutritional value and long storage life also made it a popular travel item among early explorers and traders, who carried them from Asia to Europe along the ancient Silk Road.

Originally imported to the USA in the 19th century, pistachios became a popular snack some 50 years later. William Whitehouse played a significant part in this: The grower smuggled 9 kg of pistachios from Iran to Chico in California and revolutionised the American pistachio industry by growing the Kerman pistachio. Today, California accounts for about 98 percent of pistachio production in the USA.