The almond (Prunus dulcis, syn. Prunus amygdalus Batsch., Amygdalus communis L., Amygdalus dulcis Mill.), is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. "Almond" is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus Prunus, it is classified with the peach in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.
The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed (which is not a true nut) inside. Shelling almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled (i.e., after the shells are removed), or unshelled (i.e., with the shells still attached). Blanched almonds are shelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the seedcoat, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo.
Read more about Almond: Origin and History, Production, Sweet and Bitter Almonds, Culinary Uses, Nutrition, Oils, Aflatoxins, Mandatory Pasteurization in California, Cultural Aspects
Famous quotes containing the word almond:
“Is a park any better than a coal mine? What’s a mountain got that a slag pile hasn’t? What would you rather have in your garden—an almond tree or an oil well?”
—Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944)
“I want to go back, out of the bad stories,
But there’s always the possibility that the next one . . .
No, it’s another almond tree, or a ring-swallowing frog . . .
Yet they are beautiful as we people them
With ourselves.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)