Pistacia is a shrub or tree prized for food, resin, tannins, oils and natural turpentine for thousands of years in the Mediterranean lands. Pistacia species provide mastic gum or lentik; edible nuts, oils, and turpentine as found in the Bronze Age Uluburun shipwreck.
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The genus Pistacia is a member of the cashew or sumac family Anacardiaceae. Different species of Pistacia are cultivated for food, oils and resin. They include
P. vera, source of the pistachio nut
P. lentiscus, source of mastic resin
P. terebinthus, source of terebinth resin, ancient turpentine
P. atlantica, wild relative of P. terebinthus, resin & turpentine source
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According to botanical archaeologists pistachio is first domesticated c. 8000 years ago. Cultivation includes seed selection for hardy trees with abundant resin or nuts. The pistachio tree originates in the region later called Persia, or today's Iran.
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Pistacia vera (Pistachio nut)
Called a nut, the fruit is technically a drupe like peaches, cherries, pecans, cashew, almond and sloe (blackthorn). A skin, which may be thick and fleshy (peach) or brittle and thin (almond), surrounds the seed.
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Drupe shouldn't be confused with Drude, an evil German spirit.
The seed is considered a culinary nut, as compared to a botanical or true nut. True nuts include acorn, hazelnut and chestnuts.
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Pistachio nuts have hard cream-colored shells. Within, mauve skin surrounds the elongated seed. The light green seed can vary in taste from semi-sweet, nutty, earthy, woody or herbaceous depending on the freshness and seed type.
When pistachio fruit ripens, the shell changes from green to pale and splits partly open with an audible pop, known as dehiscence. This trait has been cultivated by humans. Each mature pistachio tree averages around 50 kg (110 lb) of seeds, or c. 50,000 every two years.
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Pistacia is high in potassium, fiber and fat. While today many fear fat, it's important in the ancient world to combat sickness, malnutrition and for skin health. The plant-based fat of pistachio is monounsaturated, which helps lower cholesterol and reduce risk of stroke.
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Pistacia lentiscus (lentisk or mastic)
P. lentiscus is especially cultivated for its resin, known as lentisk or mastic, on the Greek island of Chios and around the Turkish site Çeşme. An evergreen, the plant grows up to 5 m (16 ft) high, with a strong resin scent. It's often in the company of periwinkle (myrtle) or sloe.
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Pistacia lentiscus can form hybrids with Pistacia terebinthus where the two species intersect. The latter prefers higher alpine regions, while P. lentiscus is closer to the Mediterranean coast.
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The aromatic pale resin, mastic, is harvested from trees on the island of Chios in the Aegean, where it's also called "Chios tears". Originally liquid, it hardens when the weather gets cold into drops of hard, brittle and translucent resin.
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When chewed, the resin softens and becomes a bright white and opaque gum. As chewing gum mastic resin is cultivated since the late Bronze Age. Flavor and fragrance are described as "strong, slightly smoky, resiny aroma". Mastic oil is used to treat skin disorders.
Pistacia terebinthus (terebinth, turpentine tree)
The word turpentine is first used in reference to resin of terebinth trees (P. terebinthus and relatves such as P. atlantica). Also called Chios or Cyprian turpentine, it later means crude turpentine (oleoresin) and the oil of turpentine (essential oil) of conifer trees.
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P. terebinthus has a limited amount of resin and not all trees produce. The main sources are restricted, and P. terebinthus resin commands top price. Today most terebinth turpentine comes from a close relative, P. atlantica.
Pistacia atlantica (Atlas pistachio; Cyprus, Persian, Atlantic Turpentine)
Pistacia atlantica is a deciduous tree up to 7 m (23 ft) tall with dense spreading branches. The oblong, fleshy, oily fruit of the female tree is up to 8 mm (0.31 in) long and pink ripening to blue. The tree grows slowly, and can live as long as a thousand years.
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It's native to part of Eurasia and once common. This wild pistachio is the most economically important tree in many parts of the Kurdish regions, including the Zagros Mountains, where it is managed as a valuable forest tree.
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The resin and fruit oil are used in folk medicine. The resin, known in Iran as saqez, is still an important commodity. Essential oils are used in perfume. Bright red leaf galls caused by aphids are rich in tannins, providing raw material for tanning in the leather industry.
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The tannins in leaf galls are especially prized in the ancient world. The tree produces tannins to protection from insects and help healing. Tannins gather where insects infest the tree, forming galls. Oak galls are used to make black dye in antiquity and medieval times.
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The resin of the tree is also called Cyprus turpentine or Cyprus balsam and used to make chewing gum in Cyprus. In medicine it's considered to have strong antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
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The sap is dried and burned as incense. The smoke releases a pleasant ambient scent. It's used in celebrations and religious ceremonies.
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