If food trends are anything to go by, the last few months have been all about pistachio soft serves, lattes, and tarts. While the 2021 ‘Can’t Get Knafeh of It’ — the famous Dubai chocolate bar that went viral last year after a video of it was uploaded on TikTok — could have some role to play in the nut’s increasing popularity, Indian chefs too have a new-found love for pistachio.
Chef Mansi Sanghi who launched her dessert studio, The Ground Flour, in Chennai last October, crafted a Viral Dubai Tart a few weeks later. With crunchy pista kunafa, chocolate cake, and dark chocolate ganache, it is an ode to the “chocolate bar all over Instagram”.
Chef Mansi Sanghi with the pista granola tart
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On similar lines, several cafes and restaurants are playing up the pistachio in everyday menus with dishes such as gelatos, granola bars, smoothie bowls, and tarts. “The viral Dubai chocolate is a big part of this new craze,” says Mansi, who has recently launched a strawberry pistachio tart, dark chocolate pistachio dream cake, and a mixed berry oats mousse and pistachio granola bowl. “Trends and hype created on social media can really bring out the need to give such ingredients a go. Once people see something online, they want it immediately,” she adds.
The pistachio soft serve at 23rd Street Pizza
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Mansi also adds that the texture, flavour and vibrant colour of the pistachio has inspired chefs to experiment. “As a chef, it’s one of my favourite dry fruits hence I like to play with it in my creations,” says Maxime Montay, co-partner and executive chef at New Delhi’s Monique Patisserie. “For instance, I have revisited our classic Paris-Brest (a traditional French wheel-shaped choux pastry filled almond and hazelnut praliné) and turned it into a Pistachio Paris-Brest, where the filling is a intense pistachio mousseline cream and orange blossom water ganache.
Pistachio Paris-Brest at Monique Patisserie
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The patisserie’s Classic Opéra Dessert that traditionally had dark chocolate and coffee was tweaked into a Pistachio and Apricot Opéra. “For me, there are a lot of sources of inspiration when it comes to pistachio, mostly coming from their origins of production. With Iranian pistachios, we can take the path of oriental flavours and play with other flavours such as rose or honey. With Sicilian pistachios, blending them with typical Mediterranean ingredients such as orange blossom water, apricot, or berries feels natural,” explains Maxime.
The viral Dubai tart with crunchy pista kunafa ganache at The Ground Flour
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So, how has this ingredient — seen only in traditional Indian mithais for the longest time — found its place on almost every menu? Chef Amit Sharma of Poetry by Love and Cheesecake, Mumbai and Pune, says, “Its delicate balance of earthy, nutty flavours with slightly sweet undertones makes it an ideal ingredient. Pistachio adds a creamy, velvety texture when incorporated into mousses, ice creams, and cheesecakes.” While their pistachio yoghurt cake has been on the menu since 2020, last year saw the team introduce four more desserts with the nut: ghewar pistachio cheesecake, vegan lemon pistachio and raspberry cake, wild strawberry and pistachio chiboust, and a pistachio layered cheesecake.
The vegan lemon pistachio and raspberry cake at Poetry by Love and Cheesecake
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“In India, people were only used to tasting flavoured pistachio, no one really used it 100%. Once people tasted what pistachio truly tastes like in desserts, it gained popularity, and rightly so,” says Vijay Sekhar, founder of Bengaluru’s 23rd Street Pizza that has a pistachio soft serve on its menu, and is a crowd favourite. “Pistachios have a unique taste, especially when salted, which compliments sugar very well. In our pistachio soft serve you can taste the salt, which is why it’s been so popular,” adds Vijay, who is now working on a pistachio tiramisu.
Chef Amit Sharma of Poetry by Love and Cheesecake, Mumbai
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Maxime says “it is also very easy to associate the pistachio with other flavours, hence its success”. He explains how the ingredient blends well with both dark and milk chocolates, fresh fruits, and even goes well with coffee and matcha. “The current popularity of pistachio must also come from the fact that it’s a healthy ingredient, nutrient-dense, high in proteins and healthy fats,” explains Maxime, who also creates nougat candies where the pistachio is blended with floral acacia honey and other dry fruits.
Strawberry patch plated dessert at The Ground Flour
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And these flavours and textures come at a premium, cost-wise and time-wise. “From a costing perspective, pistachio is definitely on the higher-end when compared to other nuts. Its pricing is influenced by factors like the cultivation process, harvesting method, etc. Unlike almonds or cashews, processing pistachios is more time-consuming, which drives up their cost,” says Amit, who plans to launch pistachio croissant rolls, and pistachio cheesecake waffle cones soon.
Not to forget, these nuts require shelling. “It takes a lot of time working with pistachio: shelling them, roasting, grinding. Depending on how you want to use the ingredient, the prep is done. But pistachios have a higher fat content so you have to keep a close eye so as to not burn them while roasting. Their shelf life is also lower when compared to other nuts, and they get rancid very fast ,” explains Mansi.
Pistachio nut butter
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Chef Mansi is now working on savoury options. “Trials are being done for a goat cheese, cranberry and pistachio Danish with a cherry tomato relish; a pistachio-crusted baked paneer tikka; and a savoury granola with pistachios, chickpeas and seeds that will be served with a spicy yoghurt mousse,” she says. At Monique Patisserie, Maxime has also taken the savoury route with their Caprese croissant, a twice-baked croissant with a Sicilian-inspired filling of pistachio pesto, bocconcini, arugula and roasted cherry tomato.
Pistachio and Apricot Opéra at Monique Patisserie
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Addressing other challenges, Maxime says sourcing pistachios is tough. “Being an expensive commodity, ensuring the quality, origin and traceability of pistachios is a must. The first level of preparation is very important as it’s an agricultural product too. De-shelling, cleansing with water, and further roasting is a must to avoid contamination from dust or other debris. This also means more time and effort to pre-treat this ingredient at the bakery level,” he says, adding, “Even though the global production is growing exponentially, so is the demand, hence I don’t see the price of pistachio nuts going down anytime soon.”
Published – January 31, 2025 09:41 am IST