Pine Nuts

To give a quick overview, Pine nuts are edible kernels extracted from the seed of a variety of species of pine tree. The seeds are typically thick-shelled and grow inside of pine cones that look very similar to the pine cones that grow on more common pines grown for timber. Costs are quite high due to time it takes to harvest a cone, extraction procedure and kernel preparation.

According to our research there are as many as eighteen different pine species that have been or are now customarily known as food for humans. Pine nuts have been an important food source for thousands of years. Roman soldiers took them as campaign food when they raided Britain over 2000 years ago. Even before that, Greek authors mentioned pine nut trees as food producers for around 300 BC. Botanically pine trees belong to the family of Pinaceae Genus Pinus Rosaceae of Genus: Pinus. Some other common names are pinon nuts pignoli cedar nuts chilgoza pinyon pine nuts…etc.

Himalayan or Chilgoza pine nuts (Pinus gerardiana). Chilgoza pine nuts are a little longer and slenderer than any other species. They are harvested from forests and parts of northern area in PAKISTAN and are used locally and available in markets in Europe, Middle East, FAR EAST and elsewhere in Asia.