Gaziantep, Turkey, august 15, 2021 — Archaeobotanical discoveries suggest the story of menengiç—a fruit with a flavour somewhere between pistachio and pine—began far earlier than previously thought. Researchers have uncovered evidence of wild pistachios at Göbekli Tepe, a UNESCO-listed Neolithic site two hours east of Gaziantep, dating back nearly 12,000 years.
Ancient Roots of a Turkish Delight
The humble menengiç fruit may have been a staple food for some of humanity’s earliest communities.
- Göbekli Tepe, erected around 10,000 BCE, yielded remains of wild pistachios.
- Early Neolithic people likely harvested menengiç much like it’s done today—by shaking trees.
- Archaeologists found thousands of grinding stones at Göbekli Tepe, hinting at processing methods.
- Traditional Turkish cuisine once featured menengiç in breads, pastries, and even oils.
Today, the landscape around Göbekli Tepe is arid and sparsely populated with trees. Though, scientists believe the area was once a temperate forest, providing hunter-gatherers with abundant wild pistachio and almond harvests.
When a local harvester named Zor described his family’s method, it evoked images of ancient practices. “We just roll out a curtain under the tree, and we shake it until the menengiç falls too the ground,†he explained. This simple technique likely mirrors how Neolithic people gathered the fruit.
What evidence suggests menengiç was processed at Göbekli Tepe? Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of grinding stones at the site—the largest collection from Neolithic Mesopotamia—indicating that the harvested fruits were likely crushed and transformed into pastes similar to those sold in Gaziantep’s bustling bazaar.
Beyond simple pastes, past culinary uses were surprisingly diverse. At Tahmis Kahvesi, a traditional coffee house, coffee is accompanied by nostalji çerez, a crunchy snack of roasted menengiç, chickpeas, and hemp seeds often enjoyed by children. Decades ago, cooks in southeastern Turkey incorporated menengiç into breads, pastries, pilaf, and even oil. They also combined it with grape molasses and wheat flour to create a thick, sweet confection.
However,these traditional recipes are fading from memory. Abdullah Badem, a researcher at KaramanoÄŸlu mehmetbey university, noted in a 2021 paper on menengiç’s traditional uses that such dishes are “about to be forgotten.â€
Speedy fact: Menengiç is sometimes called “green pistachio†due to its flavor profile, though it’s technically the fruit of the Pistacia terebinthus tree, a relative of the pistachio.
The finding at Göbekli Tepe offers a tantalizing glimpse into the dietary habits of some of the earliest known human settlements, suggesting that this unique fruit has been a part of the region’s culinary landscape for millennia.
