A pistachio is a small, oval nut with a naturally tan shell that often splits open on one side, revealing the pale green nut inside. That distinctive green color makes pistachios easy to recognize and fun to eat: you can usually pry open the shell with your fingers and pop out the nut.

Pistachio trees grow in hot, dry climates like California, Iran, and Turkey. The trees can live for centuries, and farmers harvest the nuts in late summer when the shells naturally split. Fresh pistachios have a slightly sweet, earthy flavor and a satisfying crunch.

People eat pistachios as a snack, sprinkle them on salads, bake them into cookies and cakes, and use them to make pistachio ice cream, which gets its pale green color from ground nuts. The nuts are also pressed to make pistachio oil for cooking.

The word pistachio can describe anything with that characteristic pale green color: pistachio paint, pistachio fabric, or even a pistachio-colored car. When you see that specific shade of green, you'll know exactly what color someone means.