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Why Are Pine Nuts So Expensive? – The Explanation

Pine nuts are delicious ingredients in Mediterranean and Arabic cuisine. But why are the pine nuts so expensive – much more expensive than most types of nuts?

How pine nuts are obtained and what they are

As the name suggests, pine nuts are the seeds of the pine tree. The pine is a Mediterranean pine, also called umbrella pine. The tree grows to a height of approx. 30 m and the pine nuts are stuck under the scales of the pine cones when harvested.

A pine tree must be around 20 years old before it is worth harvesting its cones. The pine cones mature on the tree for 3 years before they can be harvested.

Pine nuts are harvested from the so-called “Pineros”. They climb up the pine trees and knock down the cones one by one with poles. There are only a few pine plantations created by humans. The cones are still mainly harvested from wild pine trees.

Harvest time for pine cones is from April to October. The cones then have to be stored until summer. They dry in the sun until the scales of the cones open and release the pine seeds, i.e. the pine nuts.

Once the pine seeds have been freed from the cones, they still have to be peeled because they have a hard shell. Only then can they be sold.

Pine nuts are softer than nuts, have a high fat content and their taste differs depending on the location. Spanish and Portuguese pine nuts have a spicy, resinous taste, the pine nuts from Pakistan are also very flavorful – the goods from the Far East – from China and Korea, on the other hand, are not as aromatic. These are different varieties.

Mediterranean pine nuts are expensive

The fact that the pine cones are harvested by hand from wild trees – the long maturing period of the cones – and also the time-consuming and labor-intensive liberation of the pine seeds from the hard shells are the reasons why pine nuts from the Mediterranean region are sold at such high prices .

However, there are also inexpensive pine nuts from the Far East on the market. However, these pine nuts are not as flavorful as the Mediterranean commodity. And they have another disadvantage: their fat content is so high that they go rancid very quickly. It is therefore advisable to keep them in a closed jar in the fridge . They are more triangular in shape and have a dark tip which makes them easy to identify.

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Written by Dave Parker

I am a food photographer and recipe writer with more than 5 years of experience. As a home cook, I have published three cookbooks and had many collaborations with international and domestic brands. Thanks to my experience in cooking, writing and photographing unique recipes for my blog you will get great recipes for lifestyle magazines, blogs, and cookbooks. I have extensive knowledge of cooking savory and sweet recipes that will tickle your taste buds and will please even the pickiest crowd.

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