What is a pistachio?
A: The pistachio, a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating
from Central Asia and the Middle East that produces seeds that are widely
consumed as food.
The pistachio tree is native to what regions?
A: Central Asia, including present-day Iran and Afghanistan.
Archaeology shows that pistachio seeds were a common
food as early as when?
A: 6750 BC.
So far, the earliest evidence of pistachio consumption
goes back to when?
A: Back to the Bronze Age Central Asia.
Pistachio trees were introduced from Asia to Europe in
the 1st century AD by whom?
A: The Romans.
Where are they cultivated?
A: Across southern Europe and north Africa.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were said to have
contained pistachio trees during the reign of what King?
A: Merodach-Baladan about 700 BC.
In the 19th century, the pistachio was cultivated
commercially in parts of what?
A: The English-speaking world, such as Australia along with
New Mexico and
California where it was introduced in 1854 as a garden tree.
In 1904 and 1905, David Fairchild of the United States
Department of Agriculture introduced hardier cultivars to California
collected from where?
A: China, but it was not promoted as a commercial crop until 1929
Pistachio is a desert plant and is highly tolerant of
what?
A: Saline soil.
What kind of summers are required for proper ripening
of the fruit?
A: Long, hot summers.
The tree grows up to how tall?
A: 10 m (33 ft).
The fruit is a drupe, containing what?
A: An elongated seed, which is the edible portion.
The seed, commonly thought of as a nut, is a what?
A: A culinary nut, not a botanical nut.
The fruit has a hard, cream-colored what?
A: Exterior shell.
The seed has a mauve-colored skin and what colored
flesh?
A: Light green flesh.
When the fruit ripens, the shell changes from green to
what?
A: An autumnal yellow/red and abruptly splits partly open.
This is known as dehiscence and happens with what?
A: An audible pop.
The splitting open is a trait that has been what?
A: Selected by humans.
The pistachio tree is long-lived and may live up to how
long?
A: 300 years.
The trees are planted in orchards and take
approximately seven to ten years to reach what?
A: Significant production.
Production is alternate-bearing or biennial-bearing,
meaning what?
A: Meaning that the harvest is heavier in alternate years.
How long until peak production is reached?
A: Around 20 years.