1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:11,039 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here. In recent years, pistachios have 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: been getting a lot of attention thanks to some successful 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: marketing campaigns. Americans consumed close to a hundred metric tons 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: of pistachios alone the most recent year of data available, 6 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 1: which works out to just over eleven ounces or thirty 7 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: two grams per person, according to International Nut and Dried Fruit, 8 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: a nut industry organization that represented a more than six 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: increase in consumption compared to just four years earlier. So 10 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: why are we eating so many pistachios? One reason, obviously 11 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: is that we like the taste and crunch, But part 12 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: of that marketing positions pistachios is a good for you snack. 13 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: Pistachios do have a decent spread of unsaturated fats, protein, 14 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: and fiber, meaning that they'll help fill you up and 15 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: keep you going. Nutrition is really complicated because our human 16 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: bodies are complicated, but pistachios are under investigation for all 17 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: kinds of potential health benefits when added to your diet 18 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: in reasonable servings, especially when they replace more processed foods 19 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: like snap chips. Partially because of the extra work we 20 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: have to do to crack the pistachios shells open and 21 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,559 Speaker 1: extract them. That helps us eat more slowly and gives 22 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: our stomachs time to signal they're full. In study, subjects 23 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: who snacked on pistachios that they had to remove from 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: their shells consumed fewer calories than those who were given 25 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: pistachios with the shells already removed. But that leads to 26 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: another question, why are pistachios one of the few nuts 27 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: commonly sold consumers with their shells still attached. For the 28 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: article this episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke 29 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: with Louise Ferguson, a pistachio expert with the University of California, 30 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: Davis and co author of their Pistachio Production Manual. She 31 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: explained that to roast and salt nuts like walnuts or cashews, 32 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: producers need to first remove the protective shell. But the 33 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: reason that's not so for pistachios. Between seventy and nine 34 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:15,119 Speaker 1: of pistachios develop a split in their shells naturally during 35 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: the growing process, and the ones that do are typically 36 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: the larger and thus more desirable nuts. After those pistachios 37 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: are shaken off, the trees by people or harvesting machines. 38 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: They can be salted and roasted while still inside the shells. 39 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 1: That natural crack allows heat and salt to access the nut, 40 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: eliminating the shelling step in the industrial process and thus 41 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: saving processors some money. Only the minority of nuts that 42 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: don't split on their own are run through industrial shell 43 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: removing machines. Those Some experts think the unsplit nuts might 44 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: be less mature than these split variety. Ferguson said there 45 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 1: isn't really much of a discernible taste difference, as roasting 46 00:02:55,720 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: is a sort of equalizer flavor wise, Most of the 47 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: pistachios without naturally split shells end up being used in 48 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: cooking and to make products such as pistachio ice cream. 49 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 1: But let's say that you're neutral on whether you personally 50 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: crack open a pistachio shell to extract it, which is 51 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: a better deal to buy with shells or without. A 52 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: whole single pistachio shell in all weighs about zero point 53 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: zero two ounces that's zero point five seven grams, and 54 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: the kernel or nutmeat that is the portion of the 55 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: pistachio that you eat, makes up about of that weight. 56 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 1: You might suspect that would make pistachios without shells cheaper, 57 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: but if you look at the prices charged by retailers, 58 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: statios without shells tend to be more than twice as 59 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: expensive per ounce as the ones in shells. So all 60 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 1: you say is the trouble of extracting them, and you 61 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: pay a hefty fee for that luxury. By the way, 62 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: if you're going to shell your own pistachios, an easy 63 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: way to do it without hurting your fingertips or breaking 64 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: a nail is to use half of a spe shell 65 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: is leverage to pop open the next nut. Today's episode 66 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: is based on the article why stachios are sold in 67 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: their shells on how stuffworks dot com, written by Patrick J. Keaiger. 68 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with 69 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang. 70 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 71 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 72 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.