Treasures of Gaziantep: Pistachio

Gaziantep is one of the rare cities true to its name around the world, and of course, its symbol is nothing other than Antep pistachio. This taste's fame exceeds Turkey. Also, it is used as flavorant in the production of candies and desserts (especially baklava and chocolate) and ice cream, as well as it is consumed as an appetizer.

This taste fulfilling and contributing to the fundamental needs of the body is considered as a "Functional Food".

The Harvest Period Takes Two Months

At least ten years are needed for a young pistachio tree to yield fruit. The tree's average lifetime is 100 to 150 years, and approximately 10 kilograms of the crop is gathered from each tree. They start to harvest the fruits at the end of August, and the harvest season lasts till September.

Red Pistachio: It is gathered from the harvest of the fully-grown pistachios. The fresh pistachio is consumed as an appetizer or processed to roasted Antep pistachio.

Grizzly Green Kernel:  Grizzly green kernel is the top-quality and most delicious Antep pistachio. It is collected a month before the harvest time while it is not fully matured. It is still green. As its taste and aromatic flavour are dense, it is used in the baklava production.

Meverdi Kernel: It is harvested in the phase when the pistachio is almost fully-matured. It is the red pistachio. It is generally used for cakes and halva.

Red Kernel: It is obtained by harvesting when the product is fully-matured. It is absolute red. And the kernels are bigger. In addition to being consumed as an appetizer, it is preferred in halva, chocolate and delight industry.