WEBVTT - Why Are Pistachios Sold in Their Shells?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum here. In recent years, pistachios have

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<v Speaker 1>been getting a lot of attention thanks to some successful

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<v Speaker 1>marketing campaigns. Americans consumed close to a hundred metric tons

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<v Speaker 1>of pistachios alone the most recent year of data available,

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<v Speaker 1>which works out to just over eleven ounces or thirty

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<v Speaker 1>two grams per person, according to International Nut and Dried Fruit,

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<v Speaker 1>a nut industry organization that represented a more than six

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<v Speaker 1>increase in consumption compared to just four years earlier. So

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<v Speaker 1>why are we eating so many pistachios? One reason, obviously

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<v Speaker 1>is that we like the taste and crunch, But part

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<v Speaker 1>of that marketing positions pistachios is a good for you snack.

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<v Speaker 1>Pistachios do have a decent spread of unsaturated fats, protein,

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<v Speaker 1>and fiber, meaning that they'll help fill you up and

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<v Speaker 1>keep you going. Nutrition is really complicated because our human

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<v Speaker 1>bodies are complicated, but pistachios are under investigation for all

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<v Speaker 1>kinds of potential health benefits when added to your diet

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<v Speaker 1>in reasonable servings, especially when they replace more processed foods

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<v Speaker 1>like snap chips. Partially because of the extra work we

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<v Speaker 1>have to do to crack the pistachios shells open and

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<v Speaker 1>extract them. That helps us eat more slowly and gives

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<v Speaker 1>our stomachs time to signal they're full. In study, subjects

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<v Speaker 1>who snacked on pistachios that they had to remove from

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<v Speaker 1>their shells consumed fewer calories than those who were given

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<v Speaker 1>pistachios with the shells already removed. But that leads to

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<v Speaker 1>another question, why are pistachios one of the few nuts

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<v Speaker 1>commonly sold consumers with their shells still attached. For the

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<v Speaker 1>article this episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke

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<v Speaker 1>with Louise Ferguson, a pistachio expert with the University of California,

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<v Speaker 1>Davis and co author of their Pistachio Production Manual. She

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<v Speaker 1>explained that to roast and salt nuts like walnuts or cashews,

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<v Speaker 1>producers need to first remove the protective shell. But the

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<v Speaker 1>reason that's not so for pistachios. Between seventy and nine

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<v Speaker 1>of pistachios develop a split in their shells naturally during

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<v Speaker 1>the growing process, and the ones that do are typically

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<v Speaker 1>the larger and thus more desirable nuts. After those pistachios

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<v Speaker 1>are shaken off, the trees by people or harvesting machines.

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<v Speaker 1>They can be salted and roasted while still inside the shells.

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<v Speaker 1>That natural crack allows heat and salt to access the nut,

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<v Speaker 1>eliminating the shelling step in the industrial process and thus

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<v Speaker 1>saving processors some money. Only the minority of nuts that

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<v Speaker 1>don't split on their own are run through industrial shell

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<v Speaker 1>removing machines. Those Some experts think the unsplit nuts might

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<v Speaker 1>be less mature than these split variety. Ferguson said there

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<v Speaker 1>isn't really much of a discernible taste difference, as roasting

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<v Speaker 1>is a sort of equalizer flavor wise, Most of the

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<v Speaker 1>pistachios without naturally split shells end up being used in

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<v Speaker 1>cooking and to make products such as pistachio ice cream.

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<v Speaker 1>But let's say that you're neutral on whether you personally

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<v Speaker 1>crack open a pistachio shell to extract it, which is

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<v Speaker 1>a better deal to buy with shells or without. A

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<v Speaker 1>whole single pistachio shell in all weighs about zero point

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<v Speaker 1>zero two ounces that's zero point five seven grams, and

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<v Speaker 1>the kernel or nutmeat that is the portion of the

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<v Speaker 1>pistachio that you eat, makes up about of that weight.

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<v Speaker 1>You might suspect that would make pistachios without shells cheaper,

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<v Speaker 1>but if you look at the prices charged by retailers,

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<v Speaker 1>statios without shells tend to be more than twice as

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<v Speaker 1>expensive per ounce as the ones in shells. So all

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<v Speaker 1>you say is the trouble of extracting them, and you

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<v Speaker 1>pay a hefty fee for that luxury. By the way,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're going to shell your own pistachios, an easy

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<v Speaker 1>way to do it without hurting your fingertips or breaking

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<v Speaker 1>a nail is to use half of a spe shell

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<v Speaker 1>is leverage to pop open the next nut. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>is based on the article why stachios are sold in

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<v Speaker 1>their shells on how stuffworks dot com, written by Patrick J. Keaiger.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang.

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<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i

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