From being simply a snack to becoming an ingredient for lattes and cocktails or a fashion and design trend, pistachio is still riding the wave. Indeed, aside from the delicious taste and nutritional value of pistachios, which provide a rich source of B vitamins and help with anaemia, in recent years, there has been a growing trend to incorporate their colour into handbags, shoes, and interior design projects. This is attributed to their association with the natural world and the sense of tranquillity they evoke. Additionally, the scent of pistachio has been increasingly used in candles and perfumes.
Even the cosmetic industry has embraced this incredible nut because it helps control acne and heal scars.
We are all increasingly interested in health and nutrition. Hence, the demand for functional foods, clean-label products, and plant-based ingredients drives our choices at the grocery shops. Let’s talk numbers: the worldwide production of pistachios has already increased by around 50% in the last decade and is projected to skyrocket by 2029. Pistachio-flavoured food desserts are spreading all over restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets, and #pistachio is all over social media, reaching 2.2 million only for the tag.
In the kitchen, pistachio is now used to replace pine nuts in pesto and as a filling for tortellini, as crusts on meats, a secret ingredient in cocktails, or as a colour twist to Danish pastry when combined with cardamom. It also has the potential to be the next popular plant-based milk due to its lower water requirements compared to other nut-based alternatives and great taste as a dairy substitute. What does it have to do with coffee then?
Pistachio and coffee is not something new: Turkish people have been making their coffee with pistachio for ages. It’s called menengiç coffee, a delicious beverage caffeine-free made from the roasted pistachio tree seeds known as terebinth and turpentine tree. In Italy, this recipe’s roots are found in Sicily, which has always been a melting pot of cultures. Indeed, it is from this part – legend has it from Palermo – that coffee is enriched with pistachios, in cream poured at the bottom of the cup before coffee. It became an international obsession when, in 2019, a well-known coffeehouse chain introduced a popular line-up of pistachio drinks. Since then, thousands of coffee shops’ menus have featured pistachio coffee or pistachio-flavoured cold brew with cold foam and a hot or iced pistachio latte. It’s definitely time to take it home and make it exactly as you like it.
Flavoured coffee has been a part of the coffee world for centuries, as flavouring enhances and intensifies coffee’s taste, resulting in a pleasurable experience for coffee enthusiasts. The process of flavouring coffee is both a science and an art though: coffee beans usually contain over 800 compounds that contribute to their unique flavour. For this reason, you may think that the only way to enjoy coffee with flavours like our so-much-loved pistachio is by visiting a fancy café or a roastery. No need to grab your car’s keys: it is now possible (and easy) to embrace the long-lasting affinity between coffee and pistachio in our coffee corners at home. How? Thanks to the most recent technology of coffee machines with De’Longhi at the forefront. De’Longhi machines effortlessly help you create your delightful coffee recipes for a tasty pistachio-based experience whether starting from a superior quality Espresso or a foamy Cappuccino. If you’re missing your favourite coffee chain drink, all you’ll need is the ingredients, like pistachio cream at the bottom of an Espresso cup, as Palermitans do, or some crushed pistachio nuts to sprinkle over your Cappuccino foam.
