The Origin of "Banak"

There was a heated discussion going on the past few days between me and my friends regarding the origin of what we Kuwaitis call "Banak". A salty hard shell seed, brown from the outside and brownish green from the inside, that is used as snack. We often refer to it by its country of origin like Bulgarian, Turkish or Iranian/Persian Banak but that's about all we know.

Now I've done my research and I'm glad to say I have finally found the answer. Banak, also known as Baneh in Iran, is a seed from a tree called Pistacia Atlantica. A close relative to pistachio seeds but its nutritional facts are unknown because it's used extensively in the Gulf region only, especially in Kuwait and Bahrain. It is sold raw by weight and gets treated by boiling it in salty water.

You can learn more about the tree and it's seeds by googling its name. #pistacia_atlantica #PistaciaAtlantica #بنك# بَنَكْ

EDIT: For those still in doubt, you can find three videos on this youtube channel showing the tree, pre-treated seeds and post-treated seeds.