Fistok

"Fistok" is the Lebanese word for pistachio.

But are those shelled pistachio, you ask?

No, those are green fresh pistachios.

What you see in the picture are pistachios with a layer of green skin that, I think, eventually turns into the shell that the pistachio is in (or I think that is what it is - I never passed biology).

In Lebanon, those would be bigger, redder, and fresher.

They will also be much cheaper.

I indulged despite the price and the lack of freshness, simply to show them off.

Below are two pictures - one of the pistachio with the skin and one without the skin, ready to eat.

They taste nicer than the dried pistachio, less crumbly with a completely different texture. And they are addictive - this is the first time I see them in Vancouver.