If you leave Aegina without a bag of local pistachios, you have missed one of the island's greatest pleasures. The Aegina pistachio — known in Greece as the fistiki Aeginis — has protected designation of origin status, meaning only nuts grown on the island can carry that name. The combination of the rocky volcanic soil, long dry summers, and salt-laden sea air produces a nut that is plumper, more intensely flavoured, and naturally more open than almost any other variety you will find.
The harvest runs from late August through September, and the weeks leading up to it are when the trees are heavy with clusters of reddish-green shells. Even outside harvest season, properly stored Aegina pistachios are sold year-round at shops around the port and in the village of Mesagros, which sits at the heart of pistachio country.
For the best selection, head to one of the family-run shops on the port waterfront rather than the souvenir stalls. Look for nuts still in their shells — they stay fresher longer — and ask whether they are from the current harvest. Roasted and lightly salted is the classic preparation, but you will also find them raw, honey-glazed, and ground into pasteli (sesame and nut bars). A kilogram makes an excellent gift and travels well.
Prices are higher than supermarket pistachios from elsewhere, but the quality difference is immediately obvious when you crack one open.
Photo: Jacopo Werther / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)