h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Great entry -- I totally love these challenging but rewarding nuts! I grew up in the Detroit area of Michigan, USA, whose port was one of the major import points for the pistacio trade, until California got up to speed.

However, another place that these delicious nuts are grown is southern New Mexico. There is a farm there, right on the highway going north to Albuquerque, and just outside of White Sands Testing Range. These wonderfully devious folk have come up with a way of flavoring their nuts with either Red or Green Chile seasoning! Worth the trip to NM all by themselves!
(You say there's something called Pistacio Ice Cream? Really? )

SC

I know that the demand for pistachios here in California didn't pick up until the hostage crisis when Carter was president. All Iranian nuts were dyed red, so Californian growers decided sell them hulled or to not dye theirs. At that time there were also a very few green-dyed ones, but that practice didn't last long.

Yes, Pistachio icecream is a staple of any creamery worth its Holsteins in America. The cream-part of the ice cream is dyed a pale green, and flavored with a mild caramel/praline like flavor. The nuts are of a similar color, and add a nice crunchy surprise.