Pistacchio

Ciao everyone!

I just shared with you all my current favourite Pistacchio cream that I have been devouring almost everyday. And now I started to crave for the real pistacchio LOL.

Pistacchio

This is a dry fruit from Pistacia vera, which belongs to the family tree of Anacardiaceae. This is a fruit enclosed with a thin yet tough shell.
The origin of this fruit is the middle east. In fact this particular one that I got as the packaging suggests come from Iran. It was in Persia that it has been cultivated first during prehistoric age. Nowadays the major producer of Pistacchio are Iran, Turkey and California USA.

It has been brought here in Italy and the production has major success in the south in the island of Sicily. The renowned Pistacchi di Bronte now has claimed a DOP mark.

Pistacchio can be eaten without the rough skin, usually toasted and salted. This is why this partcular one that I got from the grocery store is in fact toasted and salted. I kinda regretted taking the salted one. We all know that too much salt is not healthy. But hey, pistacchio is really prepared as it is so that is how they are sold commercially.

But I guess the fresh natural pistacchio is much better, guys. These dry fruits are actually poor in sodium and cholesterol and it is rich in vitamin B6, thiamine, copper, phosphorus, potassium, iron and manganese. By virtue of the high lipid content, the energy intake is very high. This is why most vegan and vegetarians incorporate this in their diet and one of the most loved dry fruits out there.

They are also used like most of the relative dry fruits from the family, in the kitchen and in pastry shops in order to prepare ice cream, creams, drinks and also they are used for salumi production- yes some mortadellas have pistacchio in them (the ones produced in Bologna), and also as sauce or condiments for first and second dishes.

Let us look at the health benefits of pistacchio:

lowers bad cholesterol
protects the heart
prevents tumor
protects eyesight
maintains nervous health system
protects our skin
and contrasts diabetes type 2

Nutritional value per 100g

• Energy 637 kcal
• Fats 56g saturated fats 6,4 g
• Carbohydrates 6,9g sugar 4,7g
• Fibre 10g
• Proteine 22g
• Salt 2,1 g
• Potassium 1060mg

Guys, I already mentioned this in my article last week that I am not very particular into dry fruits, I mean, I eat them but not my favorite. And it was incredible that the pistacchio cream has now lead me to appreciate this. And now I want to eat more LOL. When I saw it at the grocery store, I thought, ok I’ll pick this up. If I liked the cream then I shall love the snack version too!

This particular one from Chips & Lips will now be part of my snack especially if I am at work. The pack is really small and easy to carry so I guess it is really cool. Again, not a fan of salty, if you can find a natural one it is much better, toasted yes but not salty guys. I also know that some people have allergies so they cannot eat dry fruits. We are all different and this might be a good food item because of its health benefits but I understand that not all people can tollerate this. So please just be mindful.

That is it. I hope you find this article interesting. Every time I find an interesting food item it is really enjoyable for me to do research because aside from the fact that I can share these info to you, I also learn at the same time.

Thank you so much for reading! See you on my next article!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored article. All the products that I feature here in my blog I purchased myself. My opinion is based on my experience upon trying and using the product.