The Bronte PDO pistachio, also called green gold, is a must for Sicily and beyond. In fact, the only Italian region producing pistachio is Sicily.
Thanks to the characteristics of the earth, (purely lava), the Bronte pistachio has organoleptic properties that give it an emerald green color during maturation. Properties that other large pistachio producers like California and Spain do not enjoy.
Pistachio is a plant native to the Mediterranean basin (Persia, Turkey). It was cultivated by the ancient Jews and was considered a precious fruit even then.
The Arabs, who tore Sicily from the Byzantines, were particularly attracted to this fruit. In fact, they began to increase the cultivation of pistachio, particularly on the slopes of Etna, where it found the natural habitat for a luxuriant and peculiar development.
Production
Today Around the pistachio, the local population has developed their traditions and their wealth thanks to the work of the producers. They have handed down the care of the lands, helping to make the city of Bronte acquire the reputation of "city of pistachio".
There are those who grow them, those who trade them, those who transform them into sweets, creams and sauces. The peculiarity lies in the fact that the trees do not fertilize, do not irrigate, are treated very little and pruned a couple of times, to eliminate dry branches.
The pistachio produces one year and rests one year and, during the latter, the farmers eliminate the buds that have sprung up on the branches so that the plant can store all the energy to explode in the following season.
The harvesting phase is quite particular, in fact between the end of August and the beginning of September everyone works in the pistachio groves, from the largest to the smallest. An almost acrobatic operation: poised on the boulders to collect the grains one by one. The daily harvest is around 20 kg, due to the steepness of the soil.
After harvesting, the edible part of the fruit is separated from the external fibrous envelope. Subsequently, the nuts are dried at a temperature of 40-50 ° C. The storage phase can last for the entire year following the harvest and must take place by depositing the fruits in the appropriate bags. Any shelling or peeling of the pistachios can be carried out mechanically.
In addition to the uniform green color and strong aromaticity, Pistachio Verde di Bronte PDO owes its peculiarity to its numerous nutritional properties: it contains vitamin A and is rich in iron, phosphorus and phenolic substances, elements that favor the strengthening of the defenses and well-being. of the organism.
Transformation
From this moment it can be consumed and transformed in all ways. From use as an aperitif (very good but little used for this practice in the horeca sector due to the price, in fact imported pistachio is used), to the transformation for ice cream, for desserts, for creams, for pesto and so on. final of the production process of the colomba: rain of pistachio grains.
For us the pistachio, together with the almond, represents the most used raw material: for the crunchy, for the panettone, especially for the cream. In fact, both in the jar and in the squeezer, we produce the pistachio cream with a unique traditional recipe.
The use of raw materials from our land is a fundamental factor for us.
And it is precisely for this reason that we choose suppliers with care, so that the transformed product is unique in terms of quality.
SOURCE: https://imlocalfood.altervista.org/il-pistacchio-di-bronte/