Does anybody else remember when they used to be dyed red? When I was a kid, pistachios were a lot more pricey than they are now. It was a big treat when we had them at our house. They were also a really messy treat! Often we had to finish cracking them open with our teeth and, of course, the dye ended up all over our hands and mouth. I got to wondering why they ever dyed them in the first place and why they stopped doing it. So.. I googled it! (What did we ever do before Google??) Well, here's a bit of trivia for your 'gee whiz' file.
"When the nut fell from the bushes in dry arid mountainous areas of Iran and Turkey, the pistachio shell got stained. In order to cover the blemish, a New York importer started red dyeing the pistachio in the early 1950's. By the 1980's California had a large crop, but the tradition of dyeing the pistachio red continues to this day. There is no difference between the natural and the red colored pistachio - except looks...."
Who knew?? (I, for one, think that's one old custom I can happily do without!)
First of all, SUPER CUTE background. Pistachios are so yummy and now I want some. I'm so glad that we can find undyed pistachios...I hate the mess of the dyed ones. But, it sure is fun to know the background of the whole dye thing. Thanks for sharing :)!
ReplyDeleteI remember when they were white, covered with a salty substance. I expect they heard Dr. Snell say "halt the salt"
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