Almonds 250 g

The almond is the most widely eaten nut in the world. The tree (Prunus dulcis or P. amygdalus) belongs to the rose family, comes from Central Asia and has been domesticated and grown in the Mediterranean since the Bronze Age. It grew on the banks of the early Nile, and for the Egyptians eating its fruit was a wish of luck and health; the almonds found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, placed there to feed the pharaoh on his journey to the afterlife, also show its spiritual meaning. It was the tireless Phoenician sailors who brought the almond tree to Greece and from there to Sicily, Spain, France and North Africa.

In the Hebrew Bible the almond tree is called shaqed, “the awakening”, as it is the first fruit tree to blossom in spring; the menorah itself, the seven-branched candelabrum symbol of the faith of David, is lit in memory of an almond tree in bloom, a symbol of connection with God. In the Christian world the almond stands for the inner self hidden beneath earthly appearance, just as Christ’s divine nature was hidden by his human one. This is why medieval art often frames Jesus in an almond-shaped halo, whose tips, pointing to heaven and earth, express the union of the physical and the spiritual.

In the Rocca di Cerere area, for example in Barrafranca and Pietraperzia, among Italy’s largest producers, well-drained, moderately clayey, rich and soft soils give the almond tree ideal conditions to develop extraordinary flavour. Varieties grown include Pizzuta, Tuono, Vinciatutti, Fascionello, Giardinella and Romana. In Arab-Sicilian pastry making, Enna almonds star in fine specialities such as almond-paste pastries, nougat, “pasta reale”, biancomangiare, marzipan in every shape and colour, the spectacular cassata and the bright Martorana fruit. Special mention goes to almond milk, a sweet, refreshing drink made by pressing and steeping ground almonds in water.