Pistachio power: Trending nut now found in both sweet and savoury dishes and even drinks
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The Flour Department has a selection of items featuring pistachio.
PHOTO: THE FLOUR DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE – Diners are going nuts for pistachio.
Once viewed as a premium snack for festive gifting or a swanky gelato flavour in Singapore, it is now not just in sweet confections, but also cocktails and savoury dishes.
The Flour Department, a bakery in Everton Park, has eight items on the menu featuring the little green powerhouse, from Pure Pistachio Latte ($8) to Pistachio Rigatoni Pasta ($20).
Over at Lofty Peaks in Serangoon Road, a bar which specialises in Indian-inspired cocktails, its Pistachio’s Love Note ($20++) has been a bestseller since it was introduced in March 2022. The nut is a key ingredient in Indian cuisine.
The pistachio gained momentum as a flavour trend in 2023 and surged in popularity on the local food scene in 2024.
Back in 2016, when Patisserie Cle co-owners Joy Chiam, 30, and Germaine Li, 38, were in Paris for a year to study pastry arts at the L’ecole Francaise De Gastronomie Paris, they noticed how pistachio was a staple flavour at gelato shops and confectioneries in France and Italy.
Patisserie Cle’s co-owners Germaine Li and Joy Chiam and their All Pistachio Cake.
Ms Chiam says: “Pistachio is a premium nut and a classic ingredient in pastry, especially in Europe. I love the flavour, but I never thought that there would be a craze for it or that it would blow up as a trend.”
She figures revenge travellers to Europe may have been exposed to the pistachio, igniting interest in the nut.
The two pastry chefs launched their All Pistachio Cake ($72 for a six-inch cake, $102 for an eight-inch cake) in July 2023 when they noticed pistachio was taking off as a trend overseas.
A number of pastry chefs whom they followed on social media were featuring pistachio in their new creations. This included French pastry chef Yann Couvreur, who began posting a series of pistachio rolls photos on Instagram in May 2023.
The duo noticed a spike in demand for their All Pistachio Cake in May 2024 when its sales doubled that of their most popular Noisette ($67 for a six-inch, $98 for an eight-inch), a chocolate hazelnut cake.
Since then, sales for the pistachio cake have been brisk and beefed up their earnings in what has been a lean year.
In July, Mr Mohamed Haikkel Firdaus, owner of The SGFR Store, made waves for selling the viral pistachio cream-filled chocolate bar, Can’t Get Knafeh Of It from Dubai-based Fix Dessert Chocolatier, at his snack and candy stores.
The 22-year-old reckons the popularity of the pistachio chocolate has fuelled the pistachio trend.
The SGFR Store even came up with its own product, the Kunafe Cwumble Cwunch Pistachio ($35). The chocolate bar, launched in late July, combines crispy kunafe and crunchy pistachio in its creamy filling.
Mr Haikkel noticed the Dubai pistachio chocolate was trending in Malaysia in April with Malaysian micro influencers posting about it on TikTok.
The pistachio chocolate trend took off in Singapore in June with home-based sellers making their own versions.
Mr Haikkel does not see the pistachio trend going away any time soon as sales for pistachio products at his six outlets are still strong.
He has 10 products featuring pistachios, from Chocolate Creations Pistachio Spread ($29, 340g) to the Chunk Bakehouse Pistachio Kunafa Choco Dreamcake, which costs a whopping $190 for 1kg and is currently viral in Dubai.
The Can’t Get Knafeh Of It chocolate bar ($65) is still available at his outlets.
The Chunk Bakehouse Pistachio Kunafa Choco Dreamcake is the most expensive pistachio product at The SGFR Store to date.
He plans to expand pistachio offerings at his stores. He is looking into selling soft serve ice cream with pistachio topping and is in the midst of developing a pistachio flavour for his own brand of Quench drinks.
“Pistachio is a classic ingredient that has been given a fresh lease of life with new products. The trend has settled into an adjustment phase. It has created its own demand and fans. I feel it can retain its fans and grow,” he adds.
One reason for pistachio’s popularity, with its nutty and creamy flavour, is its versatility as an ingredient, say several pastry chefs.
Elijah Pies co-owner Elijah Tan, 33, says: “Pistachio can be used in sweet and savoury applications. Its flavour is delicate and widely accepted, unlike coffee, dark chocolate or citrus, which may not have universal appeal.”
His artisanal bakery, which has two outlets, sells Pistachio Praline Pie ($65+ for a nine-inch pie, serves eight), introduced in September.
Pistachio Praline Pie at Elijah Pies.
At the Tanjong Pagar outlet, which offers dining in, Elijah Pies also has a drink called Vanilla Pistachio ($8.90++ for hot version, $9.90++ for cold version).
Elijah Pies has incorporated pistachio into a drink called Vanilla Pistachio.
Ms Julie Tay, 28, founder of The Flour Department, agrees pistachio is a versatile ingredient.
Founder of The Flour Department, Ms Julie Tay, with a selection of items featuring pistachio at The Flour Department.
She notes that it can pair with fruity and acidic flavours, as well as sweet ones, such as chocolate. It can also get along with dairy, grains and oats.
“The imagination is the limit when it comes to using pistachio as an ingredient,” she says.
But working with this trending ingredient does not come cheap as it costs as much as $60 a kilogram, and prices fluctuate.
At her bakery, it is the most expensive ingredient, with the 15kg she uses weekly costing some $900.
“We have had our share of being slammed online over our pricing for pistachio items, but they are costly to produce and require many man hours. To get an intense pistachio flavour, we have to use a large amount of the nuts,” says Ms Tay.
Still, the pistachio trend is working in her favour as it has increased footfall to her cafe, with customers asking for pistachio items daily.
In June, she started selling Genmaicha Kinako Mochi Pistachio Lava Bread Bowl ($7.20) when she noticed the trend reaching fever pitch.
Genmaicha Kinako Mochi Pistachio Lava Bread Bowl at The Flour Department.
In addition to confections, she decided to take a savoury route with Pistachio Butternut Squash Cauliflowers ($12), introduced in October, and Pistachio Rigatoni Pasta ($20), added to the menu in November.
She says: “With any trend, there is bound to be competition because people want to jump on it, so we have to stay ahead. It forces me to think out of the box and be creative.
“Previously, pistachio was eaten on its own or sprinkled over a dessert. Now, it has finally come into its own, taking on different permutations.”
5 places to get your pistachio fix
The Flour Department
Where: 01-36, 5 Everton Park
Open: 11.30am to 5pm, Thursdays to Sundays; closed Mondays to Wednesdays
Pistachio Butternut Squash Cauliflowers at The Flour Department.
Pistachio Butternut Squash Cauliflowers ($12) is a dish of Australian butternut squash, plated with pistachio praline – a housemade paste of ground slow-roasted pistachio and buttery fried cauliflower.
Pistachio Rigatoni Pasta at The Flour Department.
Pistachio Rigatoni Pasta ($20) features al dente paste coated in housemade pistachio pesto topped with smoky savoury bacon and a soft poached egg yolk.
Patisserie Cle
Where: 415 River Valley Road
Open: 9am to 6pm, Mondays to Saturdays, 9am to 5pm, Sundays
Tel: 8127-3925
All Pistachio Cake at Patisserie Cle in River Valley.
The All Pistachio Cake ($72 for a six-inch cake, $102 for an eight-inch cake) is named as such because every component of the cake has pistachio in it, from its pistachio mousse exterior to its interior of pistachio sponge cake, pistachio white chocolate ganache and its base of crushed pistachio and almond, held together with housemade pistachio paste. It is also available as a single-serve entremet ($10.80).
All Pistachio Log Cake at Patisserie Cle in River Valley.
The All Pistachio Log Cake ($60 for half a log, $105 for a whole log) is available for pre-order online. Collection and delivery is until Dec 31.
Elijah Pies
Where: 01-102, 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza
Open: 10am to 10pm daily
Tel: 9855-9480
Info: elijahpies.com.sg
Pistachio Praline Pie at Elijah Pies.
Pistachio Praline Pie ($65+ for a nine-inch pie, serves eight) has a rich silky pastry cream filling made with pistachio, milk and eggs, and a layer of crunchy pistachio butter, with a pistachio-studded shortcrust pastry. It is also sold by the slice at $9.50+ for takeaway and $9.50++ for dine-in.
The SGFR Store
Info: www.thesgfrstore.com
The SGFR Store came up with its own Kunafe Cwumble Cwunch Pistachio.
Kunafe Cwumble Cwunch Pistachio ($35) has a delicate dark chocolate exterior encasing a sweet pistachio cream filling.
Chocolala Pistachio Kunafa Egg features the use of pistachio paste in the filling.
Chocolala Pistachio Kunafa Egg ($45 for 20 pieces) is slightly larger than a quail egg and has a thin shell made of white chocolate and an interior filled with pistachio paste, white chocolate and kataifi dough.
Lofty Peaks
Where: 48 Serangoon Road
Open: Noon to midnight, Mondays to Saturdays, noon to 10.30pm, Sundays
Pistachio’s Love Note at Lofty Peaks is a cocktail which features pistachios.
Pistachio’s Love Note ($20++) is a tribute to pistachio. Served in a coupe glass with its rim lined with housemade melted chocolate liqueur and crushed pistachio, the drink is a mix of rum, lemon juice, white chocolate and blended pistachios.