Natural Pine/Pignolia Nuts
Estimated Inventory, 5 lbs : 11.11
This item was last sold on : 12/19/24
Description/Taste
Pine nuts are small and consistently sized, measuring approximately one centimeter in length, with a bulbous and triangular shape resembling a teardrop. The nuts are light beige with a smooth outer texture and buttery interior. When raw, Pine nuts have a subtle nutty aroma that will intensify when roasted. Pine nuts have a creamy and buttery mouthfeel with a sweet and nutty flavor and nuances of earthy pine that can be enhanced by roasting.
Seasons/Availability
Pine nuts are available year-round, with fresh nuts harvested in the fall.
Current Facts
Pine nuts, also known as Pignolias, are the seeds of pine trees. There are more than a hundred different types of pine trees worldwide, each of which contains seeds; however, only about a dozen of these yields a nut that is large enough and flavorful enough to be used as a food source. Commercially, three of these varieties yield most of the world’s production: the European Stone Pine, the Western Pinyon Pine, and the Chinese White Pine. Harvesting Pine nuts are very difficult and labor-intensive. It can take a pine tree 25 years to produce pinecones, and each pinecone takes between eighteen months and three years to fully mature. Most Pine nuts are harvested from Pine tree groves before the cones have opened. The cones are then left to open, allowing the seeds to loosen within the cone. The cones are then shaken out, the shells cracked, and the kernel removed. The thin skin covering the kernel is brushed off before the Pine nuts are sold. Most commercially sold Pine nuts in the United States are grown and harvested in China; however, there are many areas in the United States where foraging Pine nuts is common, including New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, where it is legal to gather 25 pounds without a permit. Pine nut harvesting in the United States can reach two to four million pounds each year.
Nutritional Value
Pine nuts are incredibly protein-packed, containing all 20 amino acids, specifically with a high concentration of the amino acids that aid in growth. The nuts are also a good source of manganese, an essential mineral that aids in antioxidants fighting free radicals in the body, reducing inflammation. Pine nuts contain many other essential vitamins and minerals, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium. Pine nuts are sometimes known to cause taste disturbance, a phenomenon often called pine nut mouth that causes everything consumed to have a bitter, metallic taste. This reaction, which is more common with Chinese Pine nuts, is not permanent and tends to dissipate in 1 to 3 days.
Applications
Pine nuts are a popular ingredient in savory and sweet applications in many different cultures, including French, Italian, Chinese, and American. Pine nuts are a key ingredient in pesto, a blended Italian sauce made from basil, garlic, olive oil, and Pine nuts. This sauce can be added to pasta, sandwich spreads, and used as a dip. They are often ground into a paste and used in desserts or added to sauces. The nuts add a pleasant texture and flavor to quick bread, cookies, and cakes or as a filling in pastries and tarts. Pine nuts are often used to top salads consisting of hearty greens and roasted vegetables and pasta with buttery and creamy sauces. In China, nuts are a crucial ingredient in mooncakes and other pastries filled with sweetened bean pastes and in stir-fries. Pine nuts pair well with cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, and kale, root vegetables like carrots and turnips, salty cheeses, and fresh herbs like basil, parsley, and arugula. Pine nuts should be stored in an airtight container away from direct heat and light and used within four weeks for optimal freshness. The nuts can also be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer to extend their shelf life up to a year.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
China is the world’s top grower and consumer of Pine nuts, especially in September and October, when the country celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. This festival, also known as the Moon or Mooncake Festival, is the second most important festival in China after the Chinese New Year and centers around celebrating the harvest, the moon, and the gathering of friends and family. During this time, family members from all over China come together to reunite over a large meal and enjoy different activities over the three-day holiday. The celebration of the moon is not complete without enjoying lots of different mooncakes, the signature pastry of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This ornate pastry is traditionally shaped like the moon and stuffed with a sweet paste and whole pine nuts. Mooncakes can also come in different shapes and sizes, as well as spicy and salty flavors. Traditionally, family members will share the mooncakes, representing the sharing of the harvest and the good fortune brought on by Chang’e, the moon goddess, who many believe may fulfill wishes during the festival. Children will also decorate and hang lanterns resembling plants, animals, and flowers in the trees and on houses, and family members will write good wishes on the lanterns for health, harvest, marriages, love, etc. Lighting the lanterns and letting them fly up to the moon is also common, allowing these good wishes to reach Chang’e herself.
Geography/History
Pine nuts have been consumed across North America, Europe, and Asia for over 10,000 years. North American indigenous tribes throughout the Great Basin region, located in what is now Nevada, worked together to harvest the nut during the summer and fall. In the Mediterranean, evidence of Pine nuts has been found in the ruined kitchens of Pompeii, a civilization that was wiped out by a volcanic eruption 2,000 years ago. Roman soldiers consumed Pine nuts while exploring throughout Europe, spreading them as far north as England. In China and Korea, Pine nuts have been enjoyed as a staple food for thousands of years, especially in desserts and pastries. Pine tree varieties used for commercial Pine nut production grow throughout the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Russia, Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea, and North America. China is the top producing country for commercial Pine nuts, supplying 30% of the world’s demand, followed by North Korea, Russia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The top three consumers of Pine nuts globally are China, North Korea, and North America. Pine nuts can be found in the nut aisle of many grocery stores in North America, Asia, and Europe, directly through online purveyors, and at farmer's markets in the Great Basin region of the United States.
Featured Restaurants
Restaurants currently purchasing this product as an ingredient for their menu.
| Savory Moment (1) | Carlsbad CA | 619-633-8863 |
| Fifty Two Remedies Bar | San Diego CA | 858-707-7016 |
| Mabel's Gone Fishing | San Diego CA | 619-228-9851 |
| Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District | El Cajon CA | 619-644-7585 |
| Madi | San Diego CA | 320-491-1217 |
| Oyster and Pearl Bar Restaurant | La Mesa CA | 619-303-8118 |
| Wolf In the Woods | San Diego CA | 619-851-7275 |
| Manna | Encinitas CA | 510-366-3057 |
| Inn at Rancho Santa Fe (Banquet) | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-381-8289 |
| Bernardo Heights Country Club | San Diego CA | 858-487-4022 |
| La Jolla Country Club | San Diego CA | 858-454-9601 |
| Carte Hotel | San Diego CA | 619-365-1858 |
| Mission Bay Yacht Club | San Diego CA | 858-488-0501 |
| Public House 131 | San Diego CA | 858-537-0890 |
| Communion | San Diego CA | 619-606-5568 |
| Jeune Et Jolie | Carlsbad CA | 858-231-0862 |
| Wolf In the Woods (Deliver to Great Maple) | San Diego CA | 619-851-7275 |
| Bayside Landing | San Diego CA | 858-270-9200 |
| Monarch School (Nutrition Lab) | San Diego CA | 619-804-1766 |
| The Crossings | Carlsbad CA | 760-444-1800 |
| Addison Del Mar | Del Mar CA | 858-350-7600 |
| Poseidon on the Beach | Del Mar CA | 858-755-9345 |
| Cellar Hand | San Diego CA | 334-689-2388 |
| Garbatella Osteria Bar | Chula Vista CA | 619-651-1185 |
| Common Theory (Bar) | San Diego CA | 858-384-7974 |
| Inn at Rancho Santa Fe | Rancho Santa Fe CA | 858-381-8289 |
| Extraordinary Desserts Union St. | San Diego CA | 619-294-7001 |
| Bencotto Italian Kitchen | San Diego CA | 619-822-5493 |
| Pendry SD (Lion Fish) | San Diego CA | 619-738-7000 |
| The Butchery | San Diego CA | 858-345-1524 |
| Coast Catering | Escondido CA | 619-295-3173 |
| Mothership | San Diego CA | 858-342-3609 |
| Wilmas Carousel | San Diego CA | 858-355-9218 |
| Cal A Vie | Vista CA | 760-945-2055 |
| Gravity Heights Restaurant and Brewery | San Diego CA | 858-551-5105 |
| Pacific Coast Spirits | Oceanside CA | 925-381-5392 |
| Sheraton La Jolla | San Diego CA | 858-453-5500 |
| US Grant Hotel Grill | San Diego CA | 619-232-3121 |
| Extraordinary Desserts | San Diego CA | 619-294-2132 |
| Burgeon Beer Co. | San Diego CA | 760-814-2548 |
| Viejas Casino Grove Steakhouse | Alpine CA | 800-295-3172 |
| Brigantine Pt Loma | San Diego CA | 619-224-2871 |
| The Privateer Coal Fire Pizza | Oceanside CA | 760-310-1535 |
| My Chef | San Diego CA | 916-217-0049 |
| Sugar Bear Enterprises | San Diego CA | 925-383-3623 |
| Herb & Wood | San Diego CA | 520-205-1288 |
| Dolce Pane & Vino | Del Mar CA | 858-832-1518 |
| Sheraton Carlsbad (Banquets) | Carlsbad CA | 760-827-2400 |
| insideOUT | San Diego CA | 619-888-8623 |
| Fishery | San Diego CA | 858-272-9985 |
| Pamplemousse Grill | Solana Beach CA | 858-792-9090 |
| Crust Pizzeria Carlsbad 2019 | Carlsbad CA | 760-944-1111 |
| Green Acres Campus | San Diego CA | 858-450-9907 |
| US Grant Hotel Main | San Diego CA | 619-232-3121 |
| Waverly (Bar) | Cardiff CA | 619-244-0416 |
| Mission Bay Beach Club | San Diego CA | 858-201-7551 |
| Hilton Mission Valley | San Diego CA | 619-543-9000 |
| The Pearl Hotel Bar | San Diego CA | 877-732-7573 |
