National Pistachio Day in USA

Pistachios are a good source of protein, fiber, magnesium, thiamin, and phosphorus. They're an excellent source of vitamin B6, copper, and manganese. Most nutritionists recommend their clients consume no more than two ounces (56 grams) of pistachios every day. For shelled pistachios, that adds up to 90 pistachios.

In China, the pistachio is known as the "happy nut" because it looks like its smiling. Often given as a gift during the Chinese New Year, pistachios are a symbol of health, happiness and good fortune.

The pistachio tree is native to regions of Central Asia, including present-day Iran and Afghanistan. Archaeology shows that pistachio seeds were a common food as early as 6750 BC.

In the 19th century, the pistachio was cultivated commercially in parts of the English-speaking world, such as Australia along with New Mexico and California where it was introduced in 1854 as a garden tree.

In 1904 and 1905, David Fairchild of the United States Department of Agriculture introduced hardier cultivars to California collected from China, but it was not promoted as a commercial crop until 1929. Walter T. Swingle's pistachios from Syria had already fruited well at Niles, California, by 1917.