Green Gold: Pistachios from Bronte, Sicily.

The particular type of tree that produces the pistachios for which Bronte is so famous is not only restricted to the village of Bronte and its surrounding countryside, but it is also only able to grow on lava rocks from Volcano Aetna. That’s right, these trees will only grown on lava rock from Bronte. People have tried to plant the trees somewhere else, on dirt, on other kinds of lava rocks, on lava rocks from Aetna but moved to another place…all of these attempts failed.

Moreover, the specific botanical species of pistachio that is produced in Bronte, the Pistacia vera, is the only type that can be used in the preparation of any kind of sweets. Indeed, Bronte’s pistachios are almost never salted and eaten as you are probably used to eating other types of nuts

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Pistachios from Bronte are very distinct from the pistachios most people are used to. The first thing that catches the eye is their bright green color. Especially immediately after the pistachios are picked from their tree, their color is so intense and bright that you’ll think you are holding a tiny green light bulb in your hands. The fruit itself is a little smaller and more tapered than other varieties. The small green kernel is covered by a purple velvet-like peel; the peel can be either eaten or removed. Peeling Bronte pistachios is actually quite challenging; if the fruit is fresh and you are extremely patient, though, you’ll be rewarded.

When the fruit is ripe, the shell spontaneously opens up and exposes the tip of the pistachio nut. Outside the shell, there is the husk, or grolla as it is called in Brontese dialect, a leathery coat that changes color from red to pink to white, as the fruit matures. The grolla is the most scented part of the fruit. The aroma of the husk is so strong and penetrating that even the husk of a couple of pistachios is enough to infuse an entire room with the scent of pistachio.

Even for people not at all interested in anything having to do with trees or plants, it’s actually quite an amazing experience to see these pistachio trees. They seem to be crawling out of the lava, with their branches that look like arms pulling themselves out of the rocks.

Starting from this almost mystical environment, so many small Italian producers are using Bronte's pistachios to create always new products: sauces, sweet spreads, cheese, chocolate, candies etc. You can check our website to dins out what pistachio products we are importing right now.