Everything in gastronomy seems to have been dyed green this year. A constant that has marked the absolute rise of the pistachio, not only making a strong impact on the world of food, but also on the cultural scene in general.
This nut has not only inspired the creation of dishes, sweets or liquids, but also beauty products or fashion pieces that have been dressed in its representative colour. The pistachio thus becomes a transversal element that crosses all spectrums of society.
Chocolate and cheese seem to have taken a back seat to this nut, which is now being reinterpreted by tiktokers, chefs and pastry chefs such as the Frenchman Cédric Grolet, who shared on social media the process of making delicious pistachio cookies.
From lattes or croissants to cocktails, pistachio has been the big trend of 2023, as predicted by food industry leaders Baum + Whiteman and Lyons Magnus in a study on food trends. Furthermore, according to MarketWatch, the pistachio market is expected to grow significantly year on year, reaching a multi-billion dollar figure by 2027.
This explains why large pop chains such as Starbucks have incorporated it into their menu. The coffee company introduced drinks such as the Pistachio Cream Cold Brew or the Pistachio Latte that ended up becoming the favourites of its community.
The pistachio boom
Behind this phenomenon are a number of factors such as the versatility of the ingredient, which can be used to prepare both sweet and savoury dishes, drinks or liqueurs such as pistachio martinis, another of TikTok’s big trends in 2023. The ‘revelation cocktail of the year’ contains almond or pistachio liqueur as the star ingredient, and is usually garnished with crushed pistachios or pistachio syrup.
This glorified scenario has also spurred the creation of D.S. & Durga’s intriguing pistachio perfume, which combines the scent of walnut with notes of cardamom, toasted almond and patchouli.
Pistachio thus stands in the relentless cycle of gastronomic micro-trends, which in the TikTok era tends to move between two extremes: austerity or excess. The latter being precisely the one that connects and has just elevated pistachio as the most coveted ingredient of the year.