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Article: Pine nuts' toothsome luxury enriches tomatoey sauces
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- January 24, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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Along with caviar, saffron and truffles, pine nuts are among the
most expensive foods we eat. A small jar, about 1 3/4 ounces, costs
$1.99.
And no wonder. The preparation is a long process. First, you
have to find a pine tree at least 25 years old. Then someone has to
gather the cones, competing with birds, squirrels and other small
animals for the seeds; then remove the seeds from the cones and,
finally, remove the nuts from the seeds.
To us, they may be a luxury food, but to the Navajo and Pueblo
Indians of the Southwest, pine nuts are a diet staple. The Indians
gather their nuts from the pinon pine and eat them raw, boiled,
mashed, ground into flour or as a spread for corn cakes. ...