Pine Nuts: The New “White” Gold in Lebanon
Pine nuts have gone missing from the Lebanese cuisine following a decrease in their local production as well as a soaring in their prices.
Although pine nuts are considered essential elements of the Ramadan month as people tend to add it atop their Jallab and inside main dishes as Kebbeh. Things changed this year with people shifting to what is necessary to be bought rather than what is luxurious.
Pine nuts, albeit produced locally, have always been an expensive food supplement to purchase. More specifically, Lebanese pine nuts have a unique quality and remarkable taste which made them one of the primary products for exportation.
According to a report done by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, the quality of Lebanese pine nuts has made exporting them at an expensive rate acceptable to the international market.
Lebanon produces an abundant amount of pine nuts ranging from 1000 tons to 3000 tons per year.
But why is the price of pine nuts that expensive locally?
Ever since 1988, pine nuts in Lebanon are priced according to the dollar rate to adapt to the global market. Yet, with the current global shortage in production (rise in demand globally) as well as a local dollar crisis, the price of 1kg of pine nuts has gone up to 85$.
Pine nut factory owner, Saeed Mrawid, says: “The local economic crisis has indeed affected the demand and supply of pine nuts. However, the soaring of prices can also be attributed to a decrease in the quantity of pine nuts in Lebanon due to the damage caused by bagworms (insects that poison pine trees).”
Neither people nor restaurant owners can use pine nuts abundantly anymore as it has become a rare luxury to pay for in the Lebanese lira in accordance with the daily exchange rate — currently ranging between 11,000 L.L to 12,500 L.L.
Nevertheless, everything in the production process has also become much more costly.
Labor wages costs more since workers are now rightfully demanding higher wages per hour. Also, processing and treating pine nuts using the needed machinery enables additional expenses.
Pine nuts Production
Producing pine nuts is a much more complex process than it sounds. The pinecones are first extracted from trees using long poles or by hand.
Afterwards, they are collected and spread on rooftops under the sun to dry — a process which takes up to two months.
Phase two is characterized by removing the seeds from the shells. Finally, the seeds are put into needed machinery in order to separate them from their covers and ultimately, get the final white nut.
