Almonds

The almond (Prunus amygdalus) is botanically related to the cherry, peach, plum, and apricot. It probably originated in Asia Minor and has been consumed since prehistoric times. Almonds were particularly important during the Middle Ages; at that time, marzipan, a sweet almond-paste confection, was introduced by Arabs into western Europe. Recipes using almonds appear in Medieval English cookery manuscripts. Almonds were first planted in coastal California by Franciscan missionaries in the eighteenth century, but the growing conditions were not suitable. In the 1850s, almond trees were successfully cultivated in California’s Central Valley.