Today, I’m being happy.
I’m looking at 开心果 (kāi xīn guǒ), literally ’happy nut’, Pistacia vera, pistachio nuts. Native to Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia, this is another drupe seed, rather than a true nut. Pistachios are members of the cashew family which also contains mangos.
They were introduced across Europe by the Romans throughout their empire. In the 19th century low yielding varieties were introduced from Europe to the USA. The United States Department of Agriculture later introduced hardier cultivars to California collected from China and commercial production began in 1929 and now the USA is the world’s top producer, followed by Iran. Ironically, a good proportion of the pistachios sold in China, today are from the USA, presumably grown on those trees and their descendents. Very limited numbers are grown in China. 82,000 tonnes in 2022 compared to the USA with 400,000 tonnes - still enough to make China the fourth largest.
American Pistachios
As with cashews above, they are mostly eaten as a snack; as an ingredient they are used in hideously garish coloured cakes, for which they are sold as pistachio paste.
Pistachio Cake - Helena is a large bakery chain.
I’ve also seen pistachio bao buns. No thanks.
Pistachio Buns
The are used in pistachio ice cream and I’ve seen pistachio milk tea on offer.
I can find no evidence of use in Chinese savoury dishes though There are a few recipes for stir-fries using pistachios, but they are all North American.
Cake and bun images from Meituan shopping app.
