Pistachio is a popular delicacy that abounds on the shelves of any grocery store. Every
inhabitant of our country has tried such a nut at least once in his life. But not everyone
knows what this plant is, how the fruits grow on it and in which regions it grows.
In this video we will tell you everything about pistachios. It will allow you to learn
a lot of new and interesting things about this plant.
The native land of pistachios is Western Asia, including the territory from Syria to Afghanistan.
In Ancient Persia, this delicacy was especially appreciated and revered, it was considered
a symbol of prosperity, wealth and fertility. This is one of the favorite treats of the
Queen of Sheba, who especially revered them for their delicate creamy taste and nutritional
value. During the prosperity of the Roman Empire,
the tree was brought to Ancient Greece, and from Syria the culture came to Italy.
After the great Roman Empire collapsed, the cultivation of pistachio trees temporarily
ceased. But later the Arabs brought in the culture. To the Sicilian island - after its
conquest.
Now pistachios are cultivated in many countries. Commercial cultivation of plants began in
the 1980s. Today Iran is the largest producer of pistachios,
followed by the United States, followed by China, Turkey and Syria.
In Russia, unfortunately, the climate is not suitable for growing pistachio trees. But,
the place where this plant could not only grow, but also bear fruit -
This is Crimea. However, the fruits of the pistachios grown here are practically unsuitable
for human consumption. Only different oils can be made from them.
Pistachios grow singly in nature, such as wild trees in Uzbekistan. They do not like
to grow up in the close company of their fellows. But they are unpretentious to the soil and
do not require fertile black soil. The climate of our country does not allow
the cultivation of such a plant. The tree is distinguished by very long and
tenacious roots, with which it tightly holds onto the soil. The tree takes root well on
the mountain slopes. The root system of a plant can extend to the sides, up to 40 meters,
and in depth - 15 meters. Pistachio trees are real long-livers. In favorable
conditions, they grow and bear fruit for up to 400 years.
For example, traveling through ancient Samarkand, if you wish, you can see a pistachio tree,
which is more than 500 years old.
Usually a pistachio tree reaches a height of ten meters.
The plant perfectly tolerates drought and frost down to minus 20 degrees. In those countries
where the culture grows, it is often referred to as green almonds.
We are used to calling pistachios a nut, although, in fact, it is not a nut at all.
The culture belongs to the Sumakhov family, and the fruit of the pistachio plant is a
drupe. The fruit that we call a nut is actually a bone.
Growing pistachios is extremely profitable. This is an investment in the future. The trees
are not whimsical, does not require special care and watering, but they do not yield immediately,
but only after 10 years. One kilogram of fruit can be harvested from each tree; by the age
of 20, it will yield 5-6 kilograms of nuts. The yield of a plantation of 200 trees by
fifteen to seventeen years will amount to a whole ton.
When planting a pistachio, remember that its root system does not allow transplanting it
to another place. The root of this tree reaches one and a half meters, so the container planting
method is used. This is a new efficient technology for growing pistachios in small containers
like seedlings. The containers are made of plastic wrap. The
size of the bag is 5 by 25 centimeters. Small holes are made in the outer part of the container,
after which the containers are filled with substrate and placed in boxes of 100 pieces
each. Planting of plants on the plantation is usually
done in April-May. Late spring frosts are especially dangerous for young plants. Landing
times are determined by the height of the terrain above sea level and meteorological
conditions. 2-3 hours before planting, the seedlings are
watered to prevent soil scattering when the container is opened. Landing is carried out
on a previously marked area. At each seat of previously loosened and fertilized soil,
a hole is made 25 centimeters deep. Further, the hole is covered with soil. The plant is
brought upright and watered with one or one and a half liters of water.
Creation of pistachio plantations is a long-term and reliable capital investment which will
pay off in 10-15 years. For 200 years, plantations can give a stable harvest, which is important
for future generations. Due to their high taste, pistachios are estimated 3-4 times
more expensive on the world market than walnuts and almonds. It is not for nothing that the
pistachio is called a plant-tree, since all its parts: wood, leaves, fruits can again
be used by people for their needs. From mid-spring, the branches of the tree
are decorated with small flowers, of a delicate yellow-red color or a rich scarlet hue.
The fruits begin to ripen in early autumn. At this time, the branches of the saplings
unite the clusters, which outwardly very much resemble grapes.
It is at this moment that the pistachio plant looks very attractive.
The appearance of pistachio fruits is rather unusual. They resemble bunches of grapes.
The color palette of the bunches is also very attractive, from delicate cream to yellow
with pastel pink. During the period of fruit ripening, a crack
forms on the beads collected in bunches. This is a sign of the ripeness of the fruit. It
is in this form that they begin to harvest. And with such a crack on a hard shell, we
buy pistachios in the store.
Pistachio is a wind-pollinated, dioecious plant (both female and male trees are needed
for the formation of fruits). Fruits can only form on female plants. This feature should
be taken into account when growing pistachio trees. Usually one male tree is enough to
pollinate 8-10 female trees. In properly organized pistachio plantations, every 11th tree in
a row is male. Thus, beautiful yellow-red, sometimes greenish
or purple panicle inflorescences are formed on the branches of trees, from which bunches
of drupes, known in everyday life as pistachio nuts, are formed.
Pistachios are harvested when the outer husk covering the fruit has weakened. They fall
easily enough if the tree is shaken. The husk is covered with a pale green fruit, enclosed
in a beige body. One tree can produce about 25 kilograms of peeled pistachios.
Known Interesting fact! In ancient times, ripe fruits were mined only at night, because
in the daytime the leaves of trees emit substances toxic to humans. Now this problem has been
completely solved, and ripe fruits are harvested in the afternoon by special machines.
At the end of the 19th century, pistachios came to California. Today, the United States
of America is one of the countries where pistachios are grown in the largest volumes. Nuts are
not only exported, but also consumed in huge quantities by residents.
The average length of the nuts is about 25 mm. When ripe in August – September, the
kernel, covered with a thin pinkish or light brown skin on top, becomes green, and the
shell becomes light beige. In ripe nuts, the shell cracks with a click and opens slightly,
which is why these fruits are also called “smiling nuts” in Iran, and in China they
are known as “happiness nuts”.
Fruit ripening occurs at different times, in 2 - 3 stages. First of all, nuts ripen
at the bottom of the bunches, so they are harvested first. Then comes the turn of the
fruits located in the middle part. The last to collect are the nuts remaining at the base
of the brush.
Despite the fact that Harvesting is mainly carried out by machine, they try to carry
it out in the evening, night or morning, when the sun's rays did not have time to heat the
leaves of the trees. On a hot afternoon, the foliage of pistachios is abundantly covered
with essential oils, which in large quantities are a strong allergen for humans and can have
a toxic effect, causing significant harm to health. This is dizziness, fainting, etc.
The collected fruits are cleaned from the stalks and dried well in a draft, in a place
shaded from direct sunlight. To neutralize the phytic acid contained in pistachios, the
technology of soaking them in a saline solution is also used, followed by drying or frying.
Consistently high yields of pistachios are guaranteed when several different varieties
are planted on plantations, differing in terms of flowering and fruiting. This will help
to avoid a pause in harvesting, since the frequency of fruiting for each particular
variety is individual. In some varieties, the fruiting period can
last 2 - 3 years with a break of 1 year, representatives of other varieties may "take a break" after
1 - 2 years. In addition, all varieties have different biological productivity.
The harvested nuts are sent to the factory where they are immediately processed as they
can go bad very quickly. The technological process of industrial processing
of pistachios is as follows: First, the fruits are peeled from the outer
shell and sorted, during which the husks and empty shells are separated from the nuts,
suitable for further use. To do this, they are soaked, as a result of which good nuts
sink to
the bottom, and unnecessary debris floats up.
Then Drying is performed, during which excess moisture is removed from the nuts. This prevents
the appearance of fungus and deterioration of the product.
Finally, storage is carried out in huge silos, inside which are kept cool and low humidity.
Thanks to the content of pistachios in such conditions, they can be stored throughout
the year.
The required amount of nuts is taken from storage bins and sent for sorting, where large
pistachios are separated from small ones. This process is carried out in a sorting shop
on sizing machines. Next, pistachios with a slightly open shell
are separated from closed ones using special equipment. After that, using a high-tech scanner,
nuts with various defects are rejected. They are then sent down a conveyor belt for re-sorting,
where workers remove the remaining bad nuts by hand.
The last stage is pasteurization at a temperature of 112 degrees. This process removes excess
moisture and kills the fungus. After that, the finished pistachios are packed and sent
from the factory for sale. Some of the nuts, which are planned to be sold fried or salted,
are pre-fried and processed in spices.
Pistachios are supplied to the trade networks of the country:
• dried; • dried with salt;
• fried; • fried with salt.
Moreover, salt can be both ordinary and sea salt, which additionally enriches the products
with iodine.
The packaging of the finished product is carried out using a vacuum apparatus. Most often it
is made of polymeric materials with partial transparency. The latter factor allows the
consumer to assess the quality and attractiveness of the product.
In conclusion, it should be said that, despite the high calorie content of pistachios, their
consumption is not associated with significant weight gain. It seems that when pistachios
are included in their diet, people become less hungry and naturally cut back on other
calories.
However, pistachios are beneficial only when raw. Salty, so beloved by most men, because
are an excellent snack for beer, they will not bring
the desired benefits.