Pine Nuts are sometimes called seeds and are also called pignoli and pinon come from pine trees in China, Italy, Mexico. North Africa and from the southwestern United States. Pine nuts resemble corn kernels and look like small, flat, cream colored seeds. Those coming from China are triangular and those from Italy are more slender than the rest.
Pine nuts have a long history. They were enjoyed by ancient Greeks and Romans and the Greeks believed the Pine nut tree was sacred to the God Neptune. In the United States, archaelogists have found carbon dates back to Native shelters 6,000 years ago and in caves in Utah dating back 3,000 years. Spanish explorers have recorded seeing pine nuts being ground and eaten as a meal. Also the Hopi and the Navaho nations used pine nuts in religious ceremonies and as protection from their enemies. The natives also cracked them with their teeth and ate them raw or roasted or ground into a flour and mixed with cornmeal or sunflower seed and made into bread. The pine nut kernel were also mashed and made into a tasty pine nut butter and spread on bread or made into a soup.
Pine nuts are extremely labor intensive to harvest because the seeds must be harvested from the pine cones and thus result in a high cost to purchase.
Pine Nuts may be eaten raw or roasted but are most often used an ingredients in cooking. They are blended in combinations with lamb, veal, pork, chicken, fish and are also mixed in stuffing, sauces, vegetables and even in cakes and other sweetbreads. They are also sometimes coated with chocolate and eaten as candy.
The nutritional value of Pine Nuts (per 100 gm or 3.5 ounces) follows:
- Protein 24.gm
- Carbs 14.2 gm
- Fiber 4.5 gm
- Total Fat 50.7 gm
- Thiamine B1 0.81 mg
- Riboflavin B2 0.19mg
- Niacin B3 3.57mg
- Folate 57.3 mcg
- Vitamin E 3.5 (IU)
Pine Nuts, due their high fat content, turn rancid quickly and should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months for they can be frozen for up to about 9 months.
Pine nuts can be used in many dishes from savory to sweet . They are not as crunchy as walnuts and have somewhat bitter taste. Toasting pine nuts prior to use will decrease the bitterness.
TOASTING PINE NUTS:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Place in a single layer on a sided baking sheet
- Cook for 5 to 6 minutes watching carefully (Due to high fat content they burn easily)
- Remove when nuts turn a golden color
