Ever wondered where pistachios come from? At Braga Organic Farms, we’re passionate about being California pistachio growers. But the pistachio has not been a resident of California for very long. In fact, pistachio nuts weren’t even a commercial crop in California until the 1970s.
The pistachio is actually native to the Middle East. The trees were originally found in the mountains of Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. The nut of the pistachio tree was first cultivated in Western Asia and its popularity spread to the Mediterranean. Here it was treated like a delicacy and its consumption was largely limited to royalty—most notably being heralded by the Queen of Sheba. Many believe that Nebuchadnezzar had pistachios growing in his famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
In the 1930s, an American scientist named William E. Whitehouse brought 20 pounds of pistachio seeds from Persia to California. He experimented with various strains before finding the most success with seeds from the city of Kerman. Even now, most pistachio trees in California are from the Kerman line.
Pistachio trees need a full 10 years to mature and another 10 years before they reach full production. The Central Valley in California has proven to be the perfect place to grow pistachios, with its long warm summer and mild winter. California now grows more pistachios than nearly anywhere else in the world. By 2005, Iran was the only country outproducing the United States.
Plenty of care needs to be taken while producing pistachios in order to produce a great tasting, pleasant-looking nut. In order to ensure a fresh, delicious pistachio, we always recommend you buy directly from your local organic farmer!
