Almond Prunus dulcis (Sweet), Prunus amygdalus (Bitter), Badam The almond originated in the Near East, then spread throughout the Mediterranean, where it is grown alongside the olive, both ideal crops in rocky, poor ground. According to the Bible, Aaron’s rod, chosen to sprout by God, thus indicating his choice of the House of Levi as his priests, was made from almond wood, although it was the Greeks who were thought to have cultivated it first and who gave it the name, amygdalon, from which its Latin botanical specific name is derived. Almond seeds have been found in the Neolithic layer below the Palace of Knossos in Crete and evidence of the early use of wild almonds by Man has been found at several sites in Greece. The ancient Romans, who called it nux Graeca, the Greek nut, may have introduced the tree to Britain, although it is grown here for the blossom rather than the nut, due to its intolerance to high winds and frosts. But the Phoenicians probably were most responsible for its wider distribution, taking it both to Spain and France, where it is thought to have been under cultivation as far back as the 8th century BC. The almond has long been a symbol of luxury and wealth, being pounded up with sugar, colourings and flavourings to make confectionery, comfits and celebration cake coverings in the form of rnarchpane, or marzipan, as it became known when our main supply came from Germany. Almonds also form the basis for French Nougat and Spanish Turon, and in Italy, sugar-coated and gilded almonds are given as a symbolic gift on special occasions, such as weddings or religious festivals. The almond was used extensively in Medieval cookery, especially in displaying the wealth or status of the host, making the nut an important commodity for many years. Elizabethan cookery used a lot of almond milk, that is almonds pounded up with water, in dishes such as blancmanges, and herbalists still use this for helping cradle cap in infants and gastric problems in adults. Almond oil is used in massage, both as a carrier for aromatherapy fragrances and to alleviate eczema, and ground almonds make a very good cleansing and softening facial scrub. The almond kernel is rich in rnonounsaturated fatty acids, which reduce bad cholesterol levels and also in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, which research has shown may prevent the accumulation of plaque in arteries and the formation of cancer cells. They are also a good source of minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphates. Its real mineral strength, however, is as a non-dairy source of calcium, vital for the production of strong bones and teeth and the regulation of heart beat and blood pressure. One ounce provides approximately 10% of the adult RDA at 240mg per 100g of drupe flesh - very good news indeed for vegans. Could almonds also be a prospective ingredient in that elusive Elixir of Life, perhaps? A major study, involving 26,000 members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in the USA, showed that those who ate almonds, peanuts and walnuts at least 6 time a week had a lifespan, on average, 7 years longer than that of the general population and a much lower rate of heart attack. As with every Dr Jekyll, how ever, there is the inevitable Mr Hyde lurking in the wings. The almond, especially the bitter variety, contains the glucoside amygdalin which, with enzyme reaction, breaks down into glucose, benzoic acid and hydrocyanic acid, becoming poisonous in large quantities. Almost all the seeds of the genus Prunus, (apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum), contain amygdalin and should be treated with caution. Even the lovely sweet almond has its drawbacks: almonds are also very rich in oil, yielding just over half their weight in fats and just 100g, flesh only, is a dieter's nightmare at a whopping great 612 calories!