Shelling out more than just flavor

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Of the vast array of foods I sampled at the recent Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, Calif., two pistachio creations captured my attention. The first, a tasty chicken terrine, reminded me of my years in Paris, where pistachio-studded duck pates were a charcuterie highlight.

The second was more unusual, at least to an American. It was a pistachio ice cream like no other: Mashti Malone's bright yellow Persian-style pistachio ice cream with rose water and saffron, punctuated with plenty of pistachios.

Native to the area that is now Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel, pistachios have been prized since the beginning of recorded history. Pistachios are mentioned in Genesis as one of the best products of the land.

Legend relates that they were loved by the Queen of Sheba and that pistachio trees were planted in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Later, pistachios spread throughout the Mediterranean and became popular in Italy and France. The classic French dessert peaches a la sultane, featuring pistachio ice cream and rose water, pays tribute to its Turkish origin.

Clearly, the Turkish enthusiasm for pistachios is as strong as ever. When I visited Gaziantep, Turkey's gastronomic capital in the heart of the country's pistachio region, the local pride in the delicious, brilliant green pistachios was evident. Gaziantep's renowned pistachio baklava is said to be Turkey's best.

I particularly loved the rolled pastries called stuffed grape leaves, in which the striking hue of the pistachio filling shows through the phyllo dough, coloring the entire pastry a vivid green. In Aleppo, about an hour's drive from Gaziantep, Syrians tout their red Aleppo pistachios, which are popular throughout the region and make their baklava unique.

Californians began cultivating pistachios on a commercial basis in the late 1970s with plants developed from Persian seeds. According to Henrich Brunke, a researcher at the University of California at Davis, pistachios are considered by some to be the most successful crop introduced to the United States in the past century.

California usually is second in world pistachio production. Iran is the world leader, and Turkey and Syria also are major producers.

Some American markets carry Turkish pistachios. My Los Angeles neighborhood grocery, Woodland Hills Market, which has a large Persian clientele, carries pistachios from California and from Iran, and many shoppers find the intensely flavored Middle Eastern pistachios are worth the higher price.