ROME - Almost 7 out of 10 Italians say they consume pistachios regularly and over 40% have always consumed them. This is what emerges from a research by American Pistachio Growers (non-profit association that unites American pistachio growers) in collaboration with mUp Research, in order to investigate the relationship that Italians have with pistachio nuts. The survey is on the occasion of World Pistachio Day, scheduled for February 26th. The results of the study highlight that the respondents agree on the versatility of pistachio: the research shows that the product is consumed throughout the day with a peak in the afternoon break, with over 1 in 2 Italians declaring to eat them. as a post lunch snack. As a second choice they are preferred for theaperitif: 47% of respondents admit that they are excellent as a snack along with olives and chips during happy hour, while 4 out of 10 compatriots prefer to consume them during dinner.
Even with respect to seasonality, the pistachio does not have a totally prevalent period: in the first place the interviewees answered autumn with 77% of the preferences, immediately afterwards there is winter with 75% of the votes, in third place the summer preferred by 64% of Italians and to close the ranking, spring with 61%. Over 8 out of 10 Italians declare that they eat them alone as a snack. Among the interviewees there are those who prefer to use them as recipe ingredients, almost 7 out of 10. In particular, 45% say for example that with pistachio they make desserts, 42% prefer to use them in appetizers or aperitifs, while 33% use them to give that extra touch of crunchiness and flavor to their first course. Finally pistachios, according to the research results,they are mostly consumed at home: 63%, against 14% outside the home. (HANDLE).