Antep Pistachios

Antep Pistachios

Pistachios are a delicious and highly nutritious treat. The

pistachio tree produces

bunches of pink fruit. Pistachios are

used in a wide range of dishes: they can be eaten alone as an

enjoyable snack or used as an ingredient in savory or sweet

dishes. Pistachio trees need long, hot, dry summers and

comparatively cold winters to grow, and thrive in Gaziantep’s

ideal climate. Pistachio trees bear fruit biannually, with

heavier harvests in alternate years, and can measure up to six

meters tall.

Cultivation

Antep pistachio seedlings are

grafted when they are 7 or 8

years old, and begin to bear fruit

when around 10-12 years old.

Pistachio trees are long-lived,

averaging around 150 years.

Hardy plants, they can even

survive in poor, infertile soil.

They are easy to prune and need

minimal care; after the initial

pruning, only the dead branches

need to be removed. The trees

bear fruit in April, which are

harvested in August-September.

The seeds grow in bunches

known locally as ‘cumba’ or

‘comma’ and are shaken off the

trees. The stalk is then broken off

at the node where it is attached

to the branch.

‘Boz’

Pistachios

Unripe pistachios

are known locally

as ‘boz’ or ‘grey’

pistachios after the

light yellow color

of their outer

shells. The seed is

not fully grown,

and has a

distinctive flavor

and aroma.

Gaziantep baklava

derives its unique

flavor from the fact

that it is made

from ‘boz’

pistachios.

Menengiç

Wild pistachio trees are known locally as ‘menengiç’, and can be used as rootstock for Antep pistachio

cultivation. Wild pistachio trees produce lentil-sized fruits that are roasted and then ground. The grounds are

then boiled in water and drunk like coffee. Menengiç coffee is said to be good for hemorrhoids, to help clear