Pistachio boom Why?
April 14, 16:38
Chocolate, pudding, cookies, financiers ...
Have you seen pistachio products everywhere in convenience stores and supermarkets these days?
Pistachio products that overflow around us before we know it.
When I investigated the reason why it spread, I could see the back side of the boom unique to this era.
(Osaka Broadcasting Station Why and what coverage group)
Pistachio specialty store also appeared
The first basement floor of the "Hanshin Umeda Main Store" in Osaka, which is popular as "Hanshin of food".
Many pastry shops with a floor length of about 100m sell pistachio-based sweets.
On the 6th of this month, a pistachio specialty store will open its first permanent store.
A variety of products are lined up at the store, from baked goods such as financiers and brownies to pistachio curry.
Customer
"I originally liked it as a snack for sake, but I was addicted to sweets."
"I can't forget the shock of eating pistachio sweets, and I've been pursuing it for a long time."
When did the pistachio boom start?
Products such as pistachio sweets and ice cream can be found in familiar places such as convenience stores and supermarkets.
When did it spread?
This is data collected by a private research company from about 1200 supermarket cashiers nationwide.
Sales of products that use the word "pistachio" will double in 2020 compared to the previous year.
In 2021, it has risen six times further.
In Google's search, the number of searches for the word "pistachio" has been gradually increasing since 2018, and it has increased significantly since 2020, similar to the sales of products at supermarkets.
The president of the Nuts Association pays attention to "bare meat"
What made pistachios so popular?
To find out, I asked Hiroto Nakajima, Chairman of the Japan Nuts Association.
The chairman wore a tie of the color he was interested in.
Reporter "What's that tie?"
Chairman "I tried pistachio green."
And the pistachio course by the chairman started.
Pistachios rely on imports from countries such as the United States and Iran.
It is divided into "with shells" that can be eaten mainly as snacks for sake, and "bare meat" that has the shells removed.
According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, the import volume of "bare meat" pistachios in 2021 was 1062 tons, more than double the amount in 2020.
It is mainly used for processing, and it is said that the demand for sweets is high.
Hiroto Nakajima, Chairman of the Japan Nuts Association
"This is the so-called pistachio boom, but it's the numerical identity. I have a strong image of peeling the shells of Western sake and eating it, but ice cream, chocolate, etc. Pistachios as sweets, such as baked goods, have been the focus of attention for the past few years. "
Pistachios are actually a luxury item among nuts.
The process from harvesting to shipping is time-consuming and the supply is small, so it is said that there are times when it is nearly twice as expensive as almonds, for example.
Paste-like pistachio Unexpected hit
Why did pistachios sell despite their high price?
When I looked up the search status on Google for the last five years, I found the name "pistachio spread" as a related word that attracted particular attention.
It was a product made by processing pistachios into a paste and applying it to bread like jam or peanut butter.
It's not cheap at about 1000 yen per piece, but when it was released two years ago, it recorded an exceptional hit with about 700,000 pieces.
It is said that the supermarket that sold it was an unexpected response.
Seijo Ishii Product Headquarters Tomoyuki Hamada Acting General Manager
"At the time of launch, pistachios were not as well known as other nuts, and because the unit price is high, we proposed it as one of the variations of other nut products. I don't remember that the quantity so far has continued to sell, and I am very surprised here as well. "
April, two years before the sale began, was just the time when the state of emergency was declared for the first time in the country.
The demand for corona-stricken nests matched the demands of those who wanted to spend their time gracefully at home.
Furthermore, SNS will boost the popularity.
Arranged recipes using pasty pistachios are posted one after another.
Sprinkle it on ice cream, put it in hot milk, and so on ...
The way of eating that the supermarket didn't expect has spread all at once on SNS.
Seijo Ishii Product Headquarters Tomoyuki Hamada Acting General Manager
"When we sell products, we also propose ways to eat, but when one idea of how to eat for consumers is posted, the arrangement will be further arranged. I realized that it was increasing and spreading more and more on SNS. "
Pistachios go well with sweets as well as bread.
At this supermarket, we have significantly increased the number of pistachio products to 35, which is four times the original number.
Each company is also embarking on the development of pistachio products one after another.
Why do you want to post pistachios?
SNS that supports the pistachio boom.
Why do everyone want to post pistachios?
As I researched, I found an Instagrammer who posted more than 500 pistachio products.
Its name is "Pistachio Police".
Delicious pistachio products are "arrested" as "a captivating sinner."
The "pistachio police" was a woman in Osaka.
The appeal of pistachio sweets is not only the flavor and sweetness of nuts, but also the color.
Until now, sweets have mainly been berry-based reds such as strawberries, citrus oranges and yellows, and cream whites and chocolate browns.
However, with the advent of pistachios, he secured a green position that had been the only matcha game until then.
The contrast between green and other colors attracts many fans.
In addition, it is said that it can compensate for the weakness that matcha does not match Western confectionery such as the acidity of fruits.
Pistachio Police
"There are a lot of delicious nuts, but they all have a brownish color. Only pistachios are so bright green and they look very nice. In the post, especially when you take a cross section of the sweets, it is green. The contrast of red and the like shines, so I got a comment saying "Beautiful, beautiful, moe cut" and it is exciting. "
It's not easy to get a bright green
However, it is not easy to get the bright green.
Fumiaki Hashimoto, a popular pastry chef who uses pistachio cakes.
By roasting the pistachios used in the store, the green odor will be removed and the aroma and sweetness will be enhanced.
However, when roasted, it becomes brownish.
Therefore, Mr. Hashimoto mixed the roasted pistachios with raw pistachios in order to produce a green color.
We pursue a balance between taste and color.
SoLiLite Owner Fumiaki Hashimoto
"It's better to make it only with roasted pistachios, but the" green "when the products are lined up in the showcase is useful because it creates an eye-catching gorgeousness. After a lot of trial and error, I realized that I could maximize the taste and color by adding half of each of raw and roasted to make a paste. "
How long is the pistachio boom?
When I explored the background of the pistachio boom, I could see the characteristics such as the demand for corona stagnation, the spread on SNS, and the bright green color that supports it.
Its popularity also changed the amount of pistachio imported, how it was eaten, and even the pastry chef's work process.
Experts analyzing consumption trends point out that pistachios are no longer a transient boom, but a staple.
However, there are also points of concern.
Since pistachios rely on imports, we are worried about price increases due to soaring crude oil prices due to the effects of the situation in Ukraine and the global shortage of containers.
According to the nut maker, the standard daily intake is about 40 tablets.
This is about 150 calories.
Be careful not to eat too much and have a wonderful pistachio life!
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Osaka Broadcasting Station Reporter Akira Ono
An "old pistachio fan" who has been addicted to pistachios for about 10 years after studying abroad in Iran, which is one of the two major production areas along with the United States.
Always have nuts and sweets in his home.
I usually eat new products.
Hiroto Kato, Director of the Osaka Broadcasting Station
, started interviewing with the recognition of "a snack of sake".
I couldn't keep up with the “pistachio love” that Ono reported so much, so I calmly took a step back and interviewed.