Why Are Pistachios Sold in Their Shells?

increase in consumption compared to just four years earlier. So why are we eating so many pistachios? One reason, obviously is that we like the taste and crunch, But part of that marketing positions pistachios is a good for you snack. Pistachios do have a decent spread of unsaturated fats, protein, and fiber, meaning that they'll help fill you up and

keep you going. Nutrition is really complicated because our human bodies are complicated, but pistachios are under investigation for all kinds of potential health benefits when added to your diet in reasonable servings, especially when they replace more processed foods like snap chips. Partially because of the extra work we have to do to crack the pistachios shells open and extract them. That helps us eat more slowly and gives

our stomachs time to signal they're full. In study, subjects who snacked on pistachios that they had to remove from their shells consumed fewer calories than those who were given pistachios with the shells already removed. But that leads to another question, why are pistachios one of the few nuts commonly sold consumers with their shells still attached. For the article this episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke with Louise Ferguson, a pistachio expert with the University of California,

Davis and co author of their Pistachio Production Manual. She explained that to roast and salt nuts like walnuts or cashews, producers need to first remove the protective shell. But the reason that's not so for pistachios. Between seventy and nine of pistachios develop a split in their shells naturally during the growing process, and the ones that do are typically the larger and thus more desirable nuts. After those pistachios are shaken off, the trees by people or harvesting machines.

They can be salted and roasted while still inside the shells. That natural crack allows heat and salt to access the nut, eliminating the shelling step in the industrial process and thus saving processors some money. Only the minority of nuts that don't split on their own are run through industrial shell removing machines. Those Some experts think the unsplit nuts might

be less mature than these split variety. Ferguson said there isn't really much of a discernible taste difference, as roasting is a sort of equalizer flavor wise, Most of the pistachios without naturally split shells end up being used in cooking and to make products such as pistachio ice cream. But let's say that you're neutral on whether you personally crack open a pistachio shell to extract it, which is

a better deal to buy with shells or without. A whole single pistachio shell in all weighs about zero point zero two ounces that's zero point five seven grams, and the kernel or nutmeat that is the portion of the pistachio that you eat, makes up about of that weight. You might suspect that would make pistachios without shells cheaper, but if you look at the prices charged by retailers, statios without shells tend to be more than twice as

expensive per ounce as the ones in shells. So all you say is the trouble of extracting them, and you pay a hefty fee for that luxury. By the way, if you're going to shell your own pistachios, an easy way to do it without hurting your fingertips or breaking a nail is to use half of a spe shell is leverage to pop open the next nut. Today's episode is based on the article why stachios are sold in their shells on how stuffworks dot com, written by Patrick J. Keaiger.

Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.