Aegina is Greece's pistachio capital, and the local variety — called tsikoudia tis Aeginas — is considered among the finest in the world. The island's rocky, arid interior and its specific combination of climate and soil produce a pistachio with a distinctive flavour and a natural red-tinged skin that commercial growers elsewhere try to replicate with dye.
The pistachio trees in bloom cover the hillsides in spring; the harvest comes in September. In the harbour town, virtually every shop sells pistachios in one form or another — roasted and salted, in the shell, shelled, or ground into paste for sweets. Buying direct from producers at the harbour-front market stalls, where you can taste before you buy, is the best approach. Pistachio-stuffed pastries and ice cream also appear on local menus. Take at least a bag home: they are genuinely better than any you will find in a supermarket.