Pistachio passion

Green gold they like to call it. It is as precious as gold to them. They are the locals of the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep, the folk who are fiercely proud of their cuisine and above all, passionate about their pistachios. Antep people put pistachios in almost everything, from soup to desert, but mostly reserve this tasty treasure for baklava, the ubiquitous signature sweet of the city.

One anecdote, often repeated here, recalls Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s visit to the city. After being served endless pistachio treats and a whole meal with each dish containing pistachios, he was served menengiç coffee, an ersatz coffee made with roasted wild pistachios. Rumor is he politely asked: “I’d like to have a glass of water please and without pistachios if possible!”

Every year there is a zealous pursuit of pistachios in Gaziantep. The early bird wins the treasure in the pistachio market. Many baklava makers start appearing in groves to choose their crop even weeks before the harvest season begins. The leading baklava shops always secure their yearly stock directly from the tree. This year, it has already hit a soaring price of almost 110 Turkish Liras/kilo, almost triple of last year. So the metaphor gold is not a farfetched one, considering the value of a quarter gold dime is near to a kilo of the new crop.  It is not only baklava makers, but other buyers compete to buy the best crop for the best price as possible. Chocolate producers, including Ülker (which also owns Godiva) and Nestle, buy almost 30 percent of the total produce.

Usually there is an almost secret, not-much spoken rule of thumb in baklava pricing. The most expensive ingredient in baklava indicates the price of a kilo, regardless of the...