Pine Nut

All About the Pine Nut

The pine nut is the seed of the pine cone from about 12 different varieties of pine trees grown around the world, the most common is the stone pice or Pinus Pinea. These small nuts, generally about 12mm/1/2-inch long, depending on the variety, are sweet tasting and are a pale cream color. They are often associated with the Mediterranean region, in particular Italy where it has been used as an ingredient for over 2,000 years but they have also been grown and eaten in various parts of the world including the United States, Korea, China, Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan where it has been a traditional food of nomadic tribes.

It takes about 15 years before the pine tree starts to produce large amounts of cones, but once they do start growing in quantities they can be productive for about 100 years. The cones are mostly hand-harvested and dried in the sun so that the cone scales open and the seeds can be removed. Because of this labor intensive process they tend to be one of the more expensive nuts to buy.

Pine Nut Nutritional Info (per 1 oz [28g] serving)

What an ounce of
pine nuts looks like