Calorie content and composition of pistachios. What benefits can the components contained in these delicious nuts bring to the body? Why is it better for some not to eat them? A product in cooking: how it is eaten and how it is prepared. As you can see, pistachio is not only a delicious nut, but also a very healthy product. By the way, in the end, we want to tell you another very curious fact about its beneficial effect on the body. Canadian scientists have conducted a number of studies, as a result of which it was found that when pistachios are consumed along with foods with a high glycemic index (white bread, buns, potatoes, etc.), there is no sharp jump in blood sugar. This news is especially good for diabetics.
Contraindications and harm of pistachios
And yet, despite such an impressive list of useful properties, some people should not eat pistachios. This product is contraindicated primarily for allergy sufferers. So if individual intolerance to the components of many products is typical for you, it is quite possible that the use of pistachios will also cause one or another unpleasant symptomatology, since these nuts are, in principle, classified as allergenic.
For the same reason, they should be eaten with caution by pregnant and lactating women, as well as young children, so as not to face the harm of pistachios.
For the rest, they can be consumed without any fear, but nevertheless, you need to observe moderation.
How pistachios are eaten
Unfortunately, in stores you can most often find these nuts fried with salt. In this case, the list of contraindications expands, because salt is used for their preparation quite a lot, and, for example, hypertensive patients and people suffering from edema, such "dishes" are harmful. However, if you really want salty nuts, make them yourself with healthy Himalayan salt.
How to cook pistachios yourself? It's very simple: they can be fried in a pan or baked in the oven (they need to be stirred a couple of times during the baking process to ensure even roasting). A little salt can be added at the end of the heat treatment. In a frying pan, the nuts will be fried for 20-30 minutes (readiness signal - slight crackling), in an oven preheated to 200 degrees, they will take 15 minutes.
If you plan to eat nuts raw, dried or, in extreme cases, fried, but without salt, they will only be beneficial. It is noteworthy that, unlike many other nuts, pistachios are almost always sold in a shell, although in most cases it is cracked.
How to eat pistachio from the shell? Pretty simple. If there is a crack, you need to pry it off with your fingernail, remove the nucleolus and eat. If there are no cracks, you will have to use special tongs, a nutcracker or a hammer.
Pistachio recipes
As we said at the beginning of the article, they are used not only as an independent product, but also added to various dishes. The use of these nuts in cooking is limitless - the use of pistachios in recipes begins with exquisite soups and ends with a variety of desserts.
Let's take a look at some interesting recipes with pistachios:
- Creamy pistachio soup … Cook chicken wings broth (6-8 wings per liter of water). In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the butter (40 grams) and fry the flour (50 grams) in it. Gradually pour in the broth (1 cup), stirring constantly in the flour. Add the boneless and finely chopped meat, cook for 15-20 minutes. Then pour in the rest of the broth. Whisk separately egg yolks (2 pieces), add cream (200 ml) and stir until smooth. Add the mixture to the soup in a thin stream. Scald pistachios (60 grams) with boiling water, peel them off, mash them in a blender. Combine pistachios and soup, serve with crispy croutons.
- Shrimp nut butter … Boil the shrimp (500 grams) in slightly salted water. Separate the shells, put them in a saucepan, add a little olive oil and fry, alternately adding finely chopped onions (1 head), carrots (1 piece), celery (1 stem), parsley (20 grams) and garlic (4 cloves). Pour in white wine (100 ml), evaporate it almost completely and pour in water (1 liter), add cloves (1 piece) and a pinch of salt. After 20 minutes, strain the resulting broth and mix a third of it with water (3 liters), bring it to a boil and boil the paste (500 grams) in it. Meanwhile, heat the butter (1 tablespoon) in a deep frying pan, fry the flour (10 grams) in it, and then gradually add the rest of the broth. Simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens. Add boiled pasta, shrimp, finely chopped chili (1 piece), chopped pistachios (50 grams) to the sauce, heat together for a couple of minutes and serve.
- Chocolate chip cookies with pistachios … Melt the dark chocolate (200 grams) in a water bath, add butter (40 grams) to it and mix thoroughly. Beat eggs (2 pieces) with sugar (180 grams) until smooth, light cream. Pour the chocolate into the egg mass. Pistachios (150 grams) coarsely chop with a knife and lightly fry, add nuts and flour (60 grams) to the "dough". Take a large baking dish and pour the dough into it in a thin layer, put in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees, for half an hour. Cool the cookies and cut them as you wish.
- Cheese and nut ice cream … Beat egg yolks (4 pieces) with sugar (100 grams), pour in rum (40 ml) and continue beating. Next, add ricotta grated through a sieve (500 grams), zest of half a lemon. Whip the cream 33% (400 ml) separately into a tight cream and mix with the whole mixture. Put the ice cream in the freezer to freeze for 2-3 hours. Remove 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle with pistachios (50 grams).
Such a variety of dishes can be prepared with pistachios, and this is just the beginning. If you enjoy culinary experiments with these nuts, you will find many other recipes on the Internet.
Interesting facts about pistachios
In ancient times, pistachios were called "magic nuts", it was believed that they are able to prolong youth and preserve beauty. Today they also have their affectionate "nicknames", in Iran they are called "smiling nut", in China - "happy".
Pistachios are able to provide benefits not only when eaten. So, according to the teachings of Feng Shui, using them as a home talisman promises great success. One small fruit with an open shell will attract wealth, happiness and understanding to the family.
Recipes for dishes in which pistachios were used were mentioned in one of the most ancient culinary books of the famous Apicus, published in the 5th century.
An interesting study suggests that it is best to eat inshell pistachios. It is known that the signal of satiety arrives in the brain 20 minutes after a person starts to eat. Thus, if we are talking about nuts in shell, some of the time will be spent on cleaning, which will save you from overeating. In addition, the increasing shell slide will also serve as a kind of stop signal.
In the old days, pistachio was considered a royal snack. These nuts were simply adored by the Queen of Sheba, and she demanded that the whole harvest be delivered to her.
Surprisingly, the pistachio tree is closely related to the mango.
Watch a video about pistachios:
Pistachio is a tasty and healthy product. Its important advantage is its small list of contraindications. You can eat nuts as an independent product, or you can add them to different dishes. Culinary experiments with pistachios are truly endless. Although, of course, it is most useful to eat them raw or dried.
