Iranian Pistachio According to a Greek Historian

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), the book ‘Pistachio Land’ is a narrative of the pistachio’s journey from Rafsanjan to California. This book is part of the ‘Narrative’ series by Soureh Mehr Publications, written by Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini.

Regarding the origin and main source of pistachios, the book states: ‘The oldest known trace of pistachios in the world is a piece of semi-burnt wood from the Stone Age, found approximately a thousand years ago near Fasa (Fars province) and currently preserved in the Pars Museum.

Herodotus, the famous Greek historian, also made references to pistachio cultivation in his writings, indicating that the pistachio tree has a historical background in Iran, and it is believed that this product has been cultivated in Iran for four thousand years. Iranians have instinctively recognized the blood-forming, life-giving, and brain-boosting properties of pistachios since the earliest times in history.

For example, according to Ferdowsi, the sage of Tus, a Sasanian king in the late ancient era ordered pistachios to be stored as a vital and energizing food in the fortresses of Khorasan to enable resistance against enemy invasion.’

A section from the book ‘Pistachio Land’: Gholamreza Agah consults with Bombay merchants. They introduce him to traders in New York. These New Yorkers were originally from Syria and were Christians living in America. Due to the presence of pistachios in Syria, they were familiar with this product. Agah obtains their address and then sends them several bags of pistachios via Bombay. He then telegraphs them, asking them to sell the pistachios and remit the money. Agah’s efforts succeed due to the absence of pistachios in America and the Syrian traders’ interest in pistachios, thus defining the first destination for Rafsanjan pistachios for several decades to come. It also becomes clear what they are going to do with the produced pistachios: they are going to export them! The same motivation with which Agah began his activities from the very beginning.

Soureh Mehr Publications recently released the book ‘Pistachio Land’ by Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini, in 256 pages and priced at 310,000 Tomans.