The first provable historical mention of edible nuts refers to 
pistachios. The first archaeological findings date back to 6760 B.C. in present-day Jordan. Pistachios were considered food for the rich and chosen. The pistachio tree is native to Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The pistachio nut did not reach the Mediterranean or the Near East in any quantity before medieval times. Muslim traders brought it from Iran to Europe. The word pistachio is from the Persian pisteh.
Pistachios were brought to USA in the late 1890's by a Syrian immigrant. Pistachio cultivation in California began in 1976. Their commercial use began in the 1930’s when Iran started to export it to Europe and USA. Today, 98% of the world supply of pistachios is consumed in USA. Pistachio trees live for centuries with no care. Iran boasts of a 700-year-old tree still living. Pistachios as a commercial crop are mainly grown in Muslim countries like Iran, Turkey and Syria together with USA which got it from the Muslims. Iran is not only a grower of first-class pistachios but is also the main producer in the world, with 100 to 200 thousand tons a year.
Each pistachio nut weighs around 1 gram and a pistachio tree averages 50 kg of nuts, or around 50,000, every two years. Yet another delicacy for which the world has the Muslim to thank.
