"One Day": The Pistachio War Between Iran and the US
The mako podcast "One Day" presents the pistachio as a battleground in the struggle between the US and Iran. For thousands of years, the pistachio was an Iranian symbol, but in the early 20th century, Americans began cultivating it and became the world's largest producer. The episode features Prof. Nimrod Luz, who tells the story of the pistachio war between the two countries, blending agriculture, food, and geopolitics.
The mako podcast "One Day" presents the pistachio as another arena in the struggle between the United States and Iran, alongside nuclear issues, oil, and the Strait of Hormuz. For thousands of years, the pistachio was a product associated with Iran, grown there and exported worldwide, becoming one of the country's symbols. In the early 20th century, Americans decided to grow pistachios themselves, and the pistachio became a geopolitical matter. The episode features Prof. Nimrod Luz, head of the Research Authority at Kinneret Academic College and a columnist on food culture for Israel Hayom, who tells the story of the pistachio war between the two countries. The article describes how the US managed to become the world's largest producer and overtake Iran, in a story that mixes agriculture, food, and geopolitics.