# Why is pistachio ice cream and pudding dyed green? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827 "2007-02-19T16:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/1 "2007-02-19T16:49:38Z")
So how come? Why the toxic waste shade of green for a nut-flavored ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/2 "2007-02-19T16:54:00Z")
Becuase [pistachios are green](http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=pistachio+meats&ei=UTF-8&fr=sfp&x=wrt), would be my guess. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/3 "2007-02-19T16:54:49Z")
[Pistachio nuts have a greenish hue by themselves.](http://www.regencyworld.com/ver10/images/pistakernelsgreen.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/4 "2007-02-19T17:00:36Z")
OK, but why is [raspberry flavour](http://www.northstarfrozentreats.com/icebox_list/72730620151.gif) bright blue? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/5 "2007-02-19T17:12:44Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] OK, but why is [raspberry flavour](http://www.northstarfrozentreats.com/icebox_list/72730620151.gif) bright blue? [/QUOTE] That’s _blue_ raspberry. My favorite flavor in the whole world. Most manufacturers normally make their raspberry flavor a slightly darker shade of red then their strawberry. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/6 "2007-02-19T17:36:59Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] OK, but why is [raspberry flavour](http://www.northstarfrozentreats.com/icebox_list/72730620151.gif) bright blue? [/QUOTE] Wow, Wikipedia is my friend this morning! [Blue raspberry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_raspberry): > [@](#): > > Blue raspberry is a common flavor for syrups, candies, and other food items. > > The blue raspberry flavor, originally derived from blue whitebark raspberry fruit juice, became an artificial designer product in the late 1950s. The flavor is described as somewhere between tangy and sour.[citation needed] It is often accompanied with blue food coloring. Sometimes blue raspberries are featured on products containing blue raspberry flavoring. [Rubus leucodermis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_leucodermis) Naturally, the article lacks cites, but at least the origin of that blue color isn’t totally lost in the vast dustbin of history. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/7 "2007-02-19T17:41:51Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] OK, but why is [raspberry flavour](http://www.northstarfrozentreats.com/icebox_list/72730620151.gif) bright blue? [/QUOTE] The Blue raspberry aka [Rubus leucodermis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_leucodermis) isn’t very blue [at all](http://www.longview.k12.wa.us/wr/blackcap.shtml). 😕☹ ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/8 "2007-02-19T17:45:16Z")
[QUOTE=Maastricht] [Pistachio nuts have a greenish hue by themselves.](http://www.regencyworld.com/ver10/images/pistakernelsgreen.jpg) [/QUOTE] Green_ish_, yes. But that doesn’t explain the bright green color. Dyes are added to achieve that startling (and unappetizing) pistachio ice cream shade. Wouldn’t a subtle, natural shade of green (a greenish white, say) be more appealing? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/9 "2007-02-19T17:52:38Z")
You get blue raspberry for the same reason you get white pineapple - to distinguish that flavor from other fruits with the same natural color. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/10 "2007-02-19T17:57:07Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Green_ish_, yes. But that doesn’t explain the bright green color…subtle, natural shade of green (a greenish white, say) [/QUOTE] I’ve made pistachio ice cream. There are three layers of “shell” on a pistachio; the hard outer shell, and a couple layers of “paper” on the inside. The usual way you get rid of that is to blanch the nuts – dip 'em in boiling water for a minute or so. After the blanch and a rinse in cold water, the paper and outer membrane rub right off (which isn’t meant to minimize the amount of work, since they’re small and you need a lot of them.) The resulting nutmeat is startlingly bright green – roughly the color of the the ice creams you see. The nuts aren’t enough to color the ice cream (natural pistachio ice cream is while with green/brown specs)–I’m not denying that they color it. But the nuts do have a much brighter color after cooking than they do raw. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/11 "2007-02-19T18:11:01Z")
The pistachio ice creams that I buy (Ben & Jerry’s; Haagen Dazs) are mildly green-tinted white, not lurid food-coloring green. As folks’ preferences move away from artificial colors and towards the natural / original, manufacturers and producers will follow suit. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/12 "2007-02-19T18:11:23Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] You get blue raspberry for the same reason you get white pineapple - to distinguish that flavor from other fruits with the same natural color. [/QUOTE] But blue raspberry isn’t raspberry flavored…it’s _blue_ flavored. Take this from someone who dislikes raspberry but LOVES anything blue raspberry flavored. (My house is filled with blue stuff. Blue jello, blue kool aid, blue Go Gurt (cuz they don’t make regular yogurt in blue)…but nothing raspberry. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/13 "2007-02-19T18:34:11Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] But blue raspberry isn’t raspberry flavored…it’s _blue_ flavored. Take this from someone who dislikes raspberry but LOVES anything blue raspberry flavored. (My house is filled with blue stuff. Blue jello, blue kool aid, blue Go Gurt (cuz they don’t make regular yogurt in blue)…but nothing raspberry. [/QUOTE] Seeing that blue stuff in a toilet bowl then being offered blue kool aid…“Um… not thirsty, thanks.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/14 "2007-02-19T19:03:47Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] The pistachio ice creams that I buy (Ben & Jerry’s; Haagen Dazs) are mildly green-tinted white, not lurid food-coloring green. As folks’ preferences move away from artificial colors and towards the natural / original, manufacturers and producers will follow suit. [/QUOTE] Definitely. When I was a girl [woo-woo fuzz flashback effect], pistachios came with red-dyed shells. Why? Because. Starting maybe 25 years ago you’d occasionally see the natural colored shells; then about 50-50; then the red gradually disappeared, to the extent that I haven’t seen them in years.[/wwffe] ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/15 "2007-02-19T19:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] The Blue raspberry aka [Rubus leucodermis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_leucodermis) isn’t very blue [at all](http://www.longview.k12.wa.us/wr/blackcap.shtml). 😕☹ [/QUOTE] The compounds that give blackberries (and presumably the very closely related blue raspberries) their deep purple colour are sensitive to acidity; mix them with a mildly acidic solution and the juice is deep wine red; mix them with a mildly alkaline solution and the juice turns dark navy/indigo - I’ve observed this many a time when washing up the blackberry pie dish. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/16 "2007-02-19T20:30:52Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Definitely. When I was a girl [woo-woo fuzz flashback effect], pistachios came with red-dyed shells. Why? Because. Starting maybe 25 years ago you’d occasionally see the natural colored shells; then about 50-50; then the red gradually disappeared, to the extent that I haven’t seen them in years.[/wwffe] [/QUOTE] They did that to cover imperfections (they dyed the shells red or green on the ‘seconds’) but as the machinery and growing have improved they haven’t needed to do this as much. You can still find them in December if you look, and you may be able to find them year round in candy and nut shops. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pistachio-ice-cream-and-pudding-dyed-green/392827/17 "2007-02-20T02:37:50Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] They did that to cover imperfections (they dyed the shells red or green on the ‘seconds’) but as the machinery and growing have improved they haven’t needed to do this as much. You can still find them in December if you look, and you may be able to find them year round in candy and nut shops. [/QUOTE] There’s another factor why the red and white dyed pistachios are no longer seen in the U.S. – they’re from Iran. Pistachios are common there, and they have to be cracked open by hand so a lot of _cheap_ labor is needed for processing them. The coloring, as you said, was to hide unattractive mottling of the shell caused (somehow) by hand-picking. California growers came up with another variety that was self-cracking, and, being harvested by machine, was not nearly so mottled so no need to color them. They had tough going (“Those pistachios look weird!”) until the Iran hostage crisis. Suddenly we weren’t interested in importing Iranian pistachios any more. [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistachio)