Almonds, Spain's other crop.

Almond processing, Alhama de Granada, Spain

Almond Growing In Andalusia in Spain.

October in Andalusia is the time to harvest almonds. Olive nets, filled with Almonds cover large area's of the many Andalusian Fincas. Smashing the fruit with their feet the Almond harvesters separate the skins from the shell. This "Dance of the Almonds" has gone on for centuries in Andalusia. Almonds are now and have been for over 1000 years an important crop in the economy of southern Spain.

Spain is now the world’s second largest almond producer, next to California. With a long history of olive and almond, Spain is key player in the global market. Even though the Olive and the Almond, both non-native, having been introduced to the area by the Romans and Moors. .

The Sweet Almond, introduced by the Moors nearly a 1000 years ago, the sweet almond, “prunus dulcis” with its spectacular white or soft pink almond blossom cover large areas of countryside in early spring. .

History of Almonds in Spain

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Almonds originate in Western Asia and North Africa, but their sweet, tasty nuts, cultivated since biblical times and highly prized by the Moors, Greeks and Romans. This highly nutritious and easy the store food source, quickly spread around the shores of the Mediterranean.

History states that it was the Moors who first introduced them to. Legend goes a Moorish Caliph planted the hills around Cordoba (at the time Mecca) with almond trees as a gift for his wife. True or not, to this day Cordoba is a city covered with almond trees. .

Almond trees are vulnerable to frost and freezing weather. One reason is the tree blooms in late winter, January or early February, with the blossom, pale pink on some variety white in others, covering the country side.

If frost is a problem in some areas, the farmers may light fires in their orchards, or spray trees with water mist to defeat the frost.

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Because the trees are quite large, reaching 6-8 metres high, picking almond nuts by hand would require a head for heights and some acrobatic skill! To avoid climbing, the farmer will normally gather the almond harvest in the autumn by beating the trees with long poles to bring the nuts down into a net or blanket spread below, or simply wait for them to fall and collect them from the ground.

The harvest is often the excuse for a major celebration in almond growing areas , with parties, feasting and dancing. Almond Products and Uses Almonds are highly nutritious. Most are simply eaten as nuts, either raw or roasted, but they also feature heavily in Arab and Mediterranean cooking. They are widely used in Spanish cuisine, often in dishes of Moorish origin, not only in sweets and cakes, but also in the truly Spanish, celebrated almond and garlic based soup, Ajo Blanco.

The almond is a noble and delicious food which is here to stay and will always maintain it’s rightful place in Spanish and for that matter global cuisine.