NUTS HAVE CONSIDERABLE CRUNCH, as everyone knows, so we feel rather confident that no "spoiler alert" is required. But not every nut crunches the same. An almond can be memorably firm, while the beautiful ridges and bumps of the walnut provide a particular sort of offbeat mouthfeel, the sort of mouthfeel that changes with each new walnut you eat. And as for the pistachio? That's an interesting crunch, if only because it can fall on the softer side of the scale, at least when your tooth reaches the center of the flavorful oblong nutmeat. Add to this unusual quality the fact that pistachios lean greener, hue-wise — "pistachio green" is frequently a paint color seen down at the hardware store — and you have one exceptional little snackable, a snackable that can easily be eaten over and over again in one sitting (especially if the shell has vamoosed ahead of the snacking). To mark this marvelous nut, which is related to the cashew (another softer chew), best make for Newberry Springs and the 2016 Pistachio Festival. All of the local fair fun and nutsy yumminess happens on...
SATURDAY, NOV. 5, and there shall be a host of music performances, dance happenings, and pistachio enjoyment. The place is the Newberry Community Center & Park, and everything revs up early on, at 9 o'clock. Will you leave with a few new flavors of pistachios, by the bag? That's a possibility, as pistachios hold flavor quite well, from ranch to garlic. Will you crave pistachio ice cream later in the weekend? Well, it is one of the classics, found in ice cream cases in most every store. Will you ever make the journey to pay tribute to the World's Largest Pistachio? The towering nut is in Alamogordo, New Mexico, so you might consider swinging by on your next desert road trip. Is the pistachio just about the softest nut? There are others, like the cashew, but it has a crunch that's light on kapow and full of easy satisfaction.
