Almonds originated in the warm desert areas of westerrn Asia, from which they gradually spread to the warm, dry regions of the Mediterranean basin. The almond tree is a very robust and long life that, in the Mediterranean coast, live between 60 and 80 years, even up to a century. It is able to tolerate wet winters and hot summers and it usually requires poor soils.

Different types of almonds can be distinguished according to their taste and uses. The "sweet almonds", consumed as dry fruit may have soft or hard shells; the " bitter almonds" have a strong bitter flavour and they are used in the food and agriculture industry to obtain oil, for instance.

Classifications are based on the hardness of the shell; thus, in Spain there are almonds with soft shell like the Mollar de Tarragona and Fitas from Ibiza. The most important hard shell commercial varieties are Marcona, Planeta, Llargueta, Rumbeta, Doble Fina and Desmayo and Comunas o Valencias. Some new varieties obtained in Spanish improvement programs have also spread, highlighting Masboveraand Guara. 

 In California, the greater production is soft shell almonds. Some varieties, from the oldest to the most recent ones are Nonpareil, IXL, Ne plus ultra, Texas, Davey, Tardy Nonpareil, Thompson, Ballico, Merced, Ruby, Carmel, Butte, Price, etc. Some of them are the result of crosses between them, that is to say, they are hybrids.

COMPOSITION AND HEALTH BENEFITS 

NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF ALMONDS

Values in % of weight (g/100 g of foodstuff).
Favier JC, Ireland-Ripert J, Toque C, Feinberg M. Répertoire général des aliments. 
Table de composition. INRA Ed, 1995
* USDA. Nutrients in 100 g of tree nuts, 2002.

Why should we have almonds and dry fruits in our diet?: the almonds benefits

• Almonds are very energetic and have a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and fiber
• Reduces the cholesterol level and the risk of heart disease, furthermore they have significant quantities of Vitamin E and calcium
• Almonds are ideal to fight against decalcification and osteoporosis
• They are an excellent ingredient in a healthy and balanced diet.

Almonds have high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, which make up 93% of their total fat content. The most important if these is oleic acid. Frequent consumption of this helps toreduce levels of cholesterol in general and "bad" or LDL cholesterol, while building up "good" or HDL cholesterol. Being a foodstuff of vegetable origin, almonds do not contain cholesterol.

Due to their high vitamin E content, almonds provide an extra dose of antioxidants, playing an important part in the prevention of coronary illness and cancer. A 30g portion of almonds provides 50% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin E. They also contain vitamin B6 in smaller amounts.

Almonds have the highest fibre content of any tree nut, which is important in facilitating and regulating colon transit, so avoiding constipation and preventing cardiovascular illness.
Almonds are an important source of minerals such as calcium, necessary for the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus and zinc.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Almonds are particularly valuable for people who do not consume dairy products, due to their high calcium content. 100 gr of almonds provide almost twice as much calcium as 100cc of milk (the equivalent of half a glass).

Almonds are the favourite tree nuts in terms of flavour. They can be eaten for breakfast with cereals, muesli and yoghurt, as aperitifs or snacks and are a good substitute for pastries, as well as being used in salads and sauces. They are widely used in making sweet baking products such as marzipan, turrón and pies, and in food preparations such as almond milk, ice creams and chocolate, among others. Almonds are even used as a base for cosmetics and the almond oil may be useful to eliminate earplugs.

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