Pine nuts are the most delicious (and expensive) dried fruit on the national scene. They decorate salads, are the main ingredient in Italian pesto and sweet recipes such as coca de San Juan or panellets. Today, we discover why they are so expensive, their properties and recipes that can be improved with just a handful.
Aromatic and creamy, pine nuts are for many the crunchy, toasted memory of All Saints’ Day panellets, the coca de San Juan or the juicy pesto of the last Italian pasta we ate. These tiny seeds are a compact source of protein and healthy fats that take care of our cardiovascular health (as long as we don’t eat more than one or two handfuls). They have populated the Mediterranean for thousands of years and now there is a struggle to keep the national pine nut market as alive as it was 20 years ago.
What are pine nuts?
Pine nuts are the seeds of pine trees ( Pinus pinea ), easily recognizable by their elongated drop-shaped silhouette, their seasonality and their price. These seeds, also called grains or nuts, are housed under the woody scales of the pine cone.
The pine cones are harvested from November to April and can be done manually or mechanically. In the first case, the pine cone harvester, using a stick called a gorguz, which ends in a hook, harvests 1,000 to 2,000 pine cones a day, which is equivalent to between 400 and 500 kg. These pine cones are stored and then dried in the sun so that the heat facilitates the opening of the scales. Then the shelling takes place: the separation of the pine nut with shell from the pine cone. Optionally, the pine cone can be kept with shell for up to 5 years, sold in this format or proceeded with the shelling, which consists of separating the pine nut from the shell to obtain the white pine nut that reaches markets and supermarkets. For every 100 kg of pine cones harvested, 4 kg of white pine nuts are obtained. A laborious harvest that affects the final price.
Its flavour is buttery and sweet and it is present in cuisines all over the world, such as the Middle East and the Mediterranean, where Spain, Portugal, and Italy stand out. Its fat content gives it a creamy texture but is also responsible for giving it a rancid flavour, something that can be avoided by storing pine nuts in a dry place and away from light.
History and origin of pine nuts
Paleobotanical studies place the Scots stone pine ( Pinus pinea ) from north to east of the Mediterranean for more than 50,000 years. While some authors allude to the Iberian Peninsula as its place of origin, others claim that it could have been born in Lebanon or northern Turkey, although no one doubts that it is a species native to the Mediterranean. Its introduction was successful in Africa, North America, South America, other parts of Europe such as Albania or Croatia, and Oceania. In this last continent, the Walker variety was developed, a type of stone pine that releases the cones before they open, simplifying the laborious work of collecting them.
In 2016, more than 70% of the world’s pine nut cultivation hectares were located in Spain. This figure has decreased due to droughts, the decrease in productivity that had already been perceived since 2012, and the American bug infestation. An effect that, together with international competition, is not helping the sale of the national pine nut. To give us an idea, the Asian pine nut originating in Pakistan and China is imported for only €8/kg and is sold for around €25/kg. The national pine nut goes on sale from €20/kg for distributors and is sold at between €30 and €40/kg.
In Spain, the GO PINEA operating group was created to improve pine nut productivity and to be able to deal with droughts and pests, as well as to innovate to find new solutions that can open up the national pine nut market. Currently, the largest pine nut exports are from China, Russia, and Pakistan.
Nutritional value of pine nuts
Pine nuts are notable for their fatty component and high protein content. They have a high energy content of more than 600 kcal per 100 g, are very rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc and, as for vitamins, they have a high content of vitamin E, thiamine, and niacin.
- Energy (kcal) : 680 kcal
- Proteins (g) : 14
- Total fat (g) : 68
- Carbohydrates (g) : 4
- Calcium (mg) : 11
- Iron (mg) : 5.6
- Magnesium (mg) : 270
- Zinc (mg) : 6.5
- Potassium (mg) : 780
- Phosphorus (mg) : 650
- Thiamin or Vitamin B1 (mg) : 0.73
- Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 (mg) : 0.19
- Niacin (mg) : 6.9
- Carotenes (mcg) : 10
- Vitamin E (mg) : 13.70
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Benefits and properties of pine nuts
- Pine nuts take care of our cardiovascular health, prevent anemia, reduce cholesterol, and strengthen our immune system. All this thanks to their contribution of minerals, vitamins, and mono and polyunsaturated fats as well as different types of phytosterols.
- Good for cholesterol and cardiovascular health
- Pine nuts, along with pistachios, are the nuts with the highest amount of phytosterols, a plant component that helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, pine nuts also contain pinolenic acid with an anti-inflammatory effect, linoleic acid related to the prevention of coronary diseases, vitamin E that promotes the synthesis of red blood cells or good blood circulation, and magnesium that ensures a healthy heart.
- Ideal for strengthening the immune system
- Pine nuts are rich in zinc, a mineral that acts by preventing the entry of pathogens into cells and promoting the production of antibodies. They also contain caffeic acid, an organic compound present in chia seeds with antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral functions that promotes a strong immune system ready for action.
- Recommended for anemia
- In 100 g of pine nuts we find 70% of the daily iron needed by an adult man and 34% for an adult woman. Ensuring iron levels in the diet is one of the best strategies to prevent anemia and its consequent lack of energy. A plate of spinach with pine nuts with an orange for dessert rich in vitamin C is a wonderful winning combo.
- Contraindications of pine nuts
- Eating pine nuts can cause pine mouth syndrome, which causes a range of symptoms, including headache, diarrhea, and cacogeusia, a taste disturbance. Cacogeusia is a pronounced metallic taste in the mouth and a soapy sensation when eating food.
- Researchers have not yet been able to figure out what causes this reaction, but it has been found to be associated with the pine species Pinus armandii from China. Due to its similarity, it could also be caused by other species such as Pinus sibirica, Pinus pumila and Pinus koraiensis, from different regions of Asia and the Caucasus. In any case, the symptoms disappear after a couple of weeks. Beyond that, the pine nut is only related to a possible allergy that is more likely to occur among people who are previously allergic to other types of nuts.
- How many pine nuts can you eat a day?
- Thanks to their high mineral and vitamin content, a tablespoon of pine nuts, about 20 seeds, are more than enough to obtain around 10% of phosphorus and vitamin E, a good supply of iron and B vitamins without exceeding 140 kcal.
- Why are pine nuts so expensive?
- Throughout history, the process of obtaining pine nuts has been long and laborious. The stone pine can take up to 10 years to mature and produce its first pine cones. Once it has matured, the pine farmer collects the pine cones by hand, and from every 100 kg of pine cones only 4 kg of white pine nuts are obtained.
- A slow and arduous process that has been damaged by droughts and the plague of the American bug Leptoglossus occidentalis that destroyed many hectares of crops, reducing the availability of pine nuts in the Peninsula and making their price even more expensive. Although there are versions up to 40% cheaper from China or Russia, they are considered less unctuous, more floury and of lower organoleptic quality than the Pinus pinea pine nut.
- Culinary uses of pine nuts
- How can we eat pine nuts? Raw, toasted, sugared or in cream. We can enjoy these seeds in any of their forms. With pine nuts we can cook savoury recipes, such as spinach with raisins and pine nuts or sweet recipes – what would tradition be without the coca of San Juan and All Saints without pine nut panellets? Outside our borders, the queen sauce is Italian pesto made with pine nuts and basil.
- But does it end there? Far from it, the coca de llavaneras, the coca de vidre or the legendary Valencian one made with tuna and pine nuts, the titaina, all use this dried fruit to complete the recipe. And as the list could go on and on, as a decoration for salads and as an added part for hamburgers, here we leave you a compilation of all the recipes with pine nuts that you can make with a good handful. Enjoy!