pistachio
Pistacia vera
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October
Italy
Sicily
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Sagra del Pistacchio di Bronte
Catania province
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October (may also take place in September)
The 2024 Sagra : 4th - 6th & 11th - 13th October
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Described as 'a gastronomic jewel', introduced to the island during the Arabic domination of Sicily, and now protected by a DOP label, the pistachios grown in Bronte, on the slopes of Mount Etna, are considered amongst the best in the world.
The Sagra del Pistacchio, a festival devoted to them and their many food applications, and which includes a variety of events and exhibitions relating to their cultivation and harvest by hand, offers the opportunity to sample pistachios in a great variety of forms.
Bronte pistachios are particularly sought after for their aromatic qualities and are used not just in sweet dishes - such as ice cream, cakes and pastries, but to lend a special flavour to a variety of prepared foods, including pasta such as pennette, which is made with pistachio flour, a pesto, also produced from the ground seeds and arancini (Italian stuffed rice balls). Pistachios also find their way into sausages, such as the local mortadella and are also finely ground to the consistency of a cream to make pistacchiella..
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The oil, extracted from the seeds, is also used in dermatology for its high emollient and softening properties. ​
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[www.siciliainfesta.com/sagre/sagra_del_pistacchio_bronte.htm]
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"Planting pistachios in Sicily is a sacred ritual which is passed from older generations to younger ones. Picking pistachios from the trees and letting them dry is still done by hand.
Italians can't imagine their cuisine without pistachios...
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Pistachios are harvested between late August and early September, once every two years... At this time, the entire town becomes a big family; adults, kids, teenagers and elderly people ignore the heat, holidays and other affairs—they all collect pistachios instead...
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The lovely town of Bronte holds a Pistachio festival every year. The festival dates vary, but they usually take place at the end of September or the beginning of October. It's a great chance to explore ancient Sicilian traditions, taste pistachios, and explore the cuisine and spirits of the region."
[rove.me/to/sicily/bronte-pistachio-season]
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Photo: Alexas_Fotos
Photo: S. Hermann & F. Richter
Pistachio Cultivation
Though often referred to as a nut, the pistachio is in fact a seed that forms part of a drupe - a fruit that is fleshy on the outside but which contains a hard shell protecting an inner seed.
Sicily is the only region in Italy producing pistachios commercially and Bronte, with over three thousand hectares under cultivation, represents the main production area.
A member of the cashew family, native to an area that extends from Central Asia to Afghanistan*, the pistachio tree - brought from Asia to Europe in the 1st C AD by the Romans - was introduced to Sicily by Arab horticulturalists in the 9th C.
Having adapted particularly well to the fertile volcanic soils of Mount Etna, trees - typically reaching some 20 - 30 feet in height - are cultivated from some 300 to 900 meters above sea level, amongst boulder strewn lava fields inaccessible to machines.
The harvest is still carried out in the traditional way by hand, either by picking directly from the trees or by shaking the trees and collecting from the ground. As the fruit develop their outer skin turns from green to a yellow pinkish colour, and when ripe starts to split open, separating from the inner shell.
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For commercial use, separating the husk from the shell is done by mechanical rubbing, before spreading out in the sun for three to four days for drying - a process which intensifies the flavour of the green kernel inside and which reduces the percentage of moisture. At this stage pistachios are often sold on 'in shell' for further processing, and then sold again, either in this form or shelled, or shelled and separated from the fine outer skin protecting the inner green seed.
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[https://ilpistacchio.it/en/the-harvest/]
[https://ilpistacchio.it/en/the-harvest/#:~:text=The%20collection%20of%20the%20%E2%80%9Cfruit,tree%20yields%20approaching%20thirty%20kgs.]
[https://www.siciliainfesta.com/sagre/sagra_del_pistacchio_bronte.htm]
[https://www.greatitalianchefs.com/features/green-gold-bronte-pistachio-harvest-in-pictures]
*Plants of The World Online [https://powo.science.kew.org/results?q=Pistacia%20vera]