Pistachio

Pistachios are the jewel-green nut that grows in clusters and ripens with its shell splitting open along a natural seam — a built-in invitation to eat them. Their flavor is distinctive: mild, sweet, and faintly resinous-floral, with a tender crunch, and that vivid green interior (from chlorophyll) makes them as prized for color as for taste. They straddle sweet and savory effortlessly: ground into Middle Eastern and South Asian sweets like baklava, kulfi, and Turkish delight, scattered over salads and roasted vegetables, churned into ice cream and the now-ubiquitous pistachio butter, or simply roasted and salted as the most moreish of snacks. They're nutritionally strong for a nut — relatively high in protein and fiber, with lutein and antioxidants. Buy them in the shell for snacking, shelled (and ideally unsalted) for cooking and baking.