Glossary of food terms: P

Pistachio

A pale green nut encased in a creamy coloured shell, pistachios have a sweet flavour and are eaten as a snack or used in cooking. The green colour makes pistachio a popular flavouring for ice creams, desserts and sweets, such as nougat and halva. In savoury dishes pistachios go best with veal, pork and poultry. Buy unsalted nuts and use them in homemade pâtés or crush them and mix with breadcrumbs, herbs and seasoning to make a crusty topping or stuffing for fish or meat.

You can find out more about nuts and seeds in our Cook's Guide.

• Rack of lamb with a pistachio crust with a potato and turnip bake
• Pistachio ice cream
• Chocolate pistachio fudge