The pistachio, a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating
from an area that includes Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Iran. The tree
produces seeds that are widely consumed as food.
The kernels are often eaten whole, either fresh or roasted and salted, and
are also used in pistachio ice cream, kulfi, spumoni, pistachio butter,
pistachio paste, and confections such as baklava, pistachio chocolate,
pistachio halva, pistachio lokum or biscotti, and cold cuts such as
mortadella.