Probably native to Iran and adjacent areas, pistachios have been carbon-dated to 6760 BC. This nut of antiquity is one of two mentioned in the Old Testament. Pistachios are said to have featured in the fabled Hanging Gardens of Babylon, built about 700 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar to cheer up his wife, Amytis, who found the flat Babylonian landscape dreary.

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The history of pecans can be traced back to the 16th century. The only major tree nut that grows naturally in North America, the pecan is considered the one of the most valuable North American nut species. The name “pecan” is a Native American word of Algonquin origin that was used to describe “all nuts requiring a stone to crack.”

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The almond is botanically a stone fruit related to the cherry, the plum, and the peach. Continue reading The Almond

A native of the Americas, the cashew is one of the more unusual nuts we eat, for several reasons.

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The peanut is unusual because if flowers above the ground, but fruits below the ground.

Typical misconceptions of how peanuts grow places them on trees (like walnuts or pecans) or growing as a part of a root like potatoes. Continue reading How the Peanut Grows

Did you know that the Peanut is not a nut at all?

It’s in the legume family. Some other familiar names for it are goobers, ground pea, guinea seed, and monkey nut. Peanuts have been around for 3500 years. Continue reading The Peanut