Natural Raw Pistachio, Gaziantep

Fertile land with abundant agriculture, Turkey is the third-largest country for pistachio production. These green gems are gathered in the late summer months right before they reach their full blossom. Fortunately for pistachio lovers, there is no specific season for eating them; you can enjoy pistachios as often as you wish on their own or incorporated into your favorite Turkish dish.

These roasted and lightly salted nuts are the sweetest pistachios we sell.

Ask anybody who has lived in Turkey where to find the best pistachios and their answer will most likely be Gaziantep. They will also most likely rave about the city’s baklava, which uses Antep pistachios as the main ingredient. While other types of baklava use cinnamon and rosewater to enhance taste, pastry chefs in Gaziantep do not use additional fillings in the traditional treat. They use a simple blend of sugar syrup, filo pastry dough, butter, and crushed pistachio to make Turkey’s most famous dessert.

If you are outside Gaziantep but have a craving for their sweet, there are many pastry shops in Turkey owned and ran by Gaziantep natives who bake their baklava the Antep way. You can choose many varieties of Antep baklava that come in all shapes and sizes. Carrot Sliced, or baklava in the shape of carrot slices, and bülbül yavusı, a type of baklava with single pistachio in the middle of its nest-like shape, are two examples of a traditional Antep baklava.

No leftovers

Pistachios are not only used to add taste and depth to Turkey’s favorite treat. The Gaziantep metropolitan municipality partnered with a French environmental engineering firm to use pistachio shells as a source of renewable energy in the province. The calorific value, or the amount of heat produced by food in its combustion process, of pistachios, is extremely high. Given the large number of leftover pistachio shells in the Gaziantep region, more than 55 hectares of buildings can be sourced with heating and cooling systems from this form of renewable energy. The municipality’s aim to build up Turkey’s first eco-city is taking slow steps toward becoming a reality. As of now, a pilot project in the form of a 320-meter ecohouse is underway.