The Aegina pistachio at the top of the world’s nuts by Taste Atlas

Shortly before 1900, the fruit began to be cultivated on the island, and its fame spread throughout Greece and now throughout the world. What is the risk to the precious product of the island?

The pistachio reached Aegina only a century ago but found the ideal environment to take root on the Saronic island. The climate and the soil gave and gave one of the most beloved nuts.

Apparently, it is a fruit that is loved beyond the borders of the country.

“By far the best-known Greek pistachio,” Taste Atlas characterises the Aegina pistachio, which took first place in the survey with an average of 4.8 out of 5.

The Greek fruit has the first place among the fruits of the whole world, surpassing the Turkish pistachios from Gaziantep, the Italian ones from Catania, macadamia nuts, almonds and chestnuts from all over the world.

“This amazing pistachio nut is produced from the Egintiki variety, which has been traditionally cultivated on the island of Egina since the end of the 19th century. The first pistachio plantation here was established in 1896 by Nikolaos Peroglou, who brought the nuts from Syria,” Taste Atlas added.

The good weather and the composition of the soil give the fruit from Aegina a recognisable “aroma and taste for which they are considered among the best in the world.”

TasteAtlas concludes that the season begins in August and is done in a special way: the nuts are collected with long wrapped sticks that are used to beat the branches without damaging the tree.

The agricultural cooperative in Aegina is almost eight decades old. It was founded in 1947 and today has 360 members, most of whom are in pistachio farming.

Since the 1970s, pistachio producers have begun to work together more closely to protect the fruit, which now had a pan-Hellenic reputation for its quality and taste. In the following decade, the sales network expanded throughout Greece and Cyprus, while the first investments in standardisation were made.

In 1993, the producers achieved the inclusion of the pistachio in the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products, an important move that secures their product at an international level.

More recently, in 2023, the “Pistachio culture of Aegina” was listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage index, a recognition of how the cultivation of the fruit is now so important to Aegina’s collective memory and contemporary identity.

However, climate change, as well as human activities, threaten crops.

The mild winters of recent years have not given the pistachios of Aegina the opportunity to bear fruit. Producers talk about a production reduction that has reached 80%.

However, a small part of the island’s production, about 30 out of 100 tons, carries PDO certification—the rest is referred to as shell.

The expansion of the inhabited areas on the island is also a danger to the crops, which puts pressure on the crops.

Two other Greek varieties of pistachios are on the Taste Atlas list: the ones from Megara, which are in 21st place, and the shelled ones from Fthiotida, which are in 23rd place.

Peanuts have been grown in Megara for over a century. The area also favours the tree, as it has hot summers, mild winters, and relatively little rain. The fruit is dried in the sun before being sorted. They stand out for their deep green colour.

Shelled peanuts in Fthiotida have been cultivated in the area since the 1940s. The harvest takes place at the end of August and the beginning of September. No chemicals or other substances are ever added to the crops that could get into the fruit and spoil it.

After removing the shells, the producers dry them and select them one by one to be sold.

It is a deep green peanut, sold salted or with its natural flavour. Anyone can eat them as they are, use them in sweets, or accompany yoghurt.

Source: GCT–Paul Antonopoulos