It used to be a rarity. Not so long ago the pistachio was a flavor reserved for few preparations, a slightly exotic taste and even something retro. The one consumed in Argentina came mainly from Italy and therefore it was also quite exclusive. But for some time, this dried fruit has begun to take new flight. Today it is not only produced in the country, but it is also present on the menu of all kinds of gastronomic establishments, from ice cream parlors to gourmet restaurants. Welcome to the pistachio boom.
From Argentina to the world
The work of producers that today is appreciated in the market takes a long period of prior preparation. It is that a plantation requires considerable time to give life to a self-sustaining crop with economic viability. “By the 90s, trying to diversify a bit the productive matrix of San Juan, some producers took the challenge of incorporating new types of crops, and one of those was the pistachio. This is how the development of this activity that is so renowned today began,” says Patricio Vallejo, a San Juan producer and member of the family business. Don Luis Pistachios. Among other factors, at that beginning the agroecological aptitudes of the location were surely considered, studying the soil, water and climate of Iran (where the pistachio originates from) and also of large producers such as United States, Türkiye, Syria and Italy. To grow, this plant requires areas with the four well-differentiated seasons of the year, particularly cold winters and long, very hot summers with little rainfall.
While waiting for the best possible crop, Pistachios Don Luis has been investing for 7 years. “We are a family business that comes from a different industry (shoes, sportswear and consumer loans), although our grandfather began in agriculture in winegrowing and subsequent generations tried to develop olive growing. Then we migrated to the pistachio and we are obtaining the first fruits”, says Vallejo. In this sense, they are also working to develop alliances with producers and thus achieve a broad integration of the chain so as not to fragment the market.
In The Rioja intensive work is also beginning on this production. Rioja Pistachios is a company with 200 hectares of production in the San Blas de los Sauces area and another 300 in full clearing to expand the farm, given the high demand. “We sell half of the production for internal consumption and the other half to Italy,” he describes. Ricardo Baigorria, producer. In the country, the sale is divided between distributors, dietetics, ice cream parlors and also to other provinces, such as Mendoza, Córdoba, Chaco and Tucumán.
When asked why he thinks this pistachio boom is taking place, Baigorria points to a change in habits: “before it was only eaten as a snack, roasted and salted. Today ice cream parlors use it a lot, they make gourmet food, oil, flour, there are different products that use it. We even had a visit from the Granix company, which wants to start making pistachio cookies, ”she details. The search for a healthier diet is also driving the boom, since pistachios provide benefits such as lowering blood pressure, improving intestinal transit and sleep, and reducing fatigue, while being rich in thiamine, manganese, phosphorus, copper, riboflavin and iron.
For every taste
In the gourmet scene, meanwhile, the increase in production can really be tasted. Today there are few menus in the city of Buenos Aires that do not contemplate this product. At the Duhau Park Hyatt Palace, for example, they offer truffles, macarons, cookies and a cake at Duhau Pâtisserie, and at the same time present pistachio on the dessert menu at Piano Nobile, one of its star restaurants. The Cítrico, an éclair filled with lemon cream, lime jelly, live lime wedges, accompanied by a pistachio praline and a crunchy white chocolate and pistachio slab is a delicious example.
At Café Vespress, a specialty coffee shop where Italianity is celebrated, the pistachio is king and lord. Among their most requested creations, the cannoli filled with pistachio cream stands out, although they also have biscotti or cantucci with pistachio and white chocolate, brioche filled with pistachio cream and white chocolate with pistachio, pistachio ice cream affogato, chocolate bar filled with cream pistachio, pistachio cremino tablet and even white chocolate Easter egg with pistachio and panettone filled with pistachio cream covered with chocolate and pistachio. “We mainly use pistachios of national origin, from San Juan, which is very good,” explains Eric Jakubavicius, one of the creators of the brand, who also points out that part of the success of this product is due to the rise of Italian cuisine in the world, always recognized for its use.
Towards Belgrano, Mada Patisserie is another space that pays tribute to this fruit, in this case, with its pistachio macarons. “We work with national pistachios from San Juan, we buy them already peeled and we crush them and add them to the white chocolate ganache that is part of the macaron,” describes Juliana Herrera Dappe, chef and owner.
Other preparations and venues that have joined are Buenos Aires Verde with its melted dark chocolate bonbons combined with crushed pistachios and its cocoa Chantilly cake with cocoa cream, hazelnut praline and pistachios; Martinelli and his exquisite Italian pastry, where this ingredient is never lacking (the pistachio cornetto is a must); the plant based Mudrá with its avocado and lemon ice cream, pistachio crumble and seasonal fruits; January with its chocolate and pistachio mousse; or Ninina with her vegan Frida cake, made up of chocolate, cocoa, dates, pistachios and flowers. And even the pizza adds up, as evidenced by versions like the crispy kale with brie cheese and toasted pistachios from The Pizza Only True Love.
Finally, an outstanding mention is necessary for ice cream, one of the biggest promoters from its artisanal versions, which replaced the artificial pistachio with the real product and achieved a taste that today tops many sales rankings. “Approximately 10 years ago, from AFADHYA we began to encourage and try pure Italian pistachio. Before, a different one was made here, not so pure, mixed with some other dried fruit of lesser value. And since work began with the Italian version, people began to be interested”, says Maximiliano Maccarrone, president of the entity that brings together the country’s artisan ice cream parlors. The growth of the high-quality local version was another motivation for this item. “The pistachio from San Juan is an example worldwide. Before it existed, but it was exported. Today, with the national pistachio, an incredible ice cream comes out, and the fact of valuing local production always has a plus ”, he points out.
In ice cream, in pastries, in pizzas, in elaborate dishes: the pistachio, the new green gold, has become as gourmet as it is omnipresent.
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