Pistachio skin jam: an unheard-of jam to make

Hadi Hasani (PhD Student)^1*, Zahra Kazemi (MSc Student)²

¹ Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

² Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran

Received: 14.08.2023  Accepted: 03.12.2023

Abstract

Pistachio skin jam has been a traditional food in some Iranian regions for centuries, but scientific research on its composition and properties is limited. This paper aims to introduce the jam, address preparation challenges, and offer health tips. In Iran, the jam is made by boiling pistachio skins with hot water, sugar, rose water, and cardamom. This article details methods for removing pesticides from the skins to ensure their safety. The soft outer shell of the pistachio is a significant by-product, with about 400,000 tons produced annually in Iran. Disposing of this by-product seems wasteful, especially given global food shortages and limited water resources for cultivating pistachio trees in arid regions. The lack of attention to pesticide removal from pistachio skins likely stems from the perception of this by-product as waste.