Whoever sees the almond tree, he is sure to be filled with the warmest feelings. According to ancient mythology, Theseus' son Acamant and Princess Philida loved each other. The Achaeans, against his will, called Theseus to the war with Troy. For ten years, the loving princess has been waiting for her lover. When she lost hope for his return and could not survive the separation, her strength left her. Such devotion shocked the goddess Athena. To preserve her memory, the goddess turned Filida into an almond tree. When Akamanth, returning from the war, approached it, it blossomed.
The almond tree belongs to the Rosaceae family. Today there are about forty of its species. Its branches are reddish, height from three to eight meters. The almond tree bears fruit for thirty to fifty years or more, because it often reaches a hundred years of age. The first fruits are formed four years after planting.
Almond essential oil is highly valued. It is formed due to the content in the fruits of a substance such as amygdalin. The plant got its name in the first century BC precisely because of its typical taste. Among industrial plantings, including in private horticultural collections, the most common are threevarieties:
- bitter;
- sweet;
- fragile.
Bitter almonds are high in amygdalin. It easily breaks down in the gastrointestinal tract into a poisonous cyanide compound and benzene aldehyde, which can lead to severe poisoning. Therefore, without preliminary heat treatment (calcination, roasting), it cannot be eaten. The other two subspecies have fruits of a sweet taste with a less pronounced aroma characteristic of almonds. They can be eaten without restriction and without prior preparation, but they are not suitable for obtaining valuable oil.
But the seeds of bitter almonds can contain up to 62%. It has found wide application in medicine because it is a strong solvent, many drugs are prepared on its basis. In appearance, the oil is colorless, but it has a wonderful marzipan aroma. It has analgesic properties, quickly relieves spasms, removes worms, but is a drug and contains a large proportion of the strongest cyanide poison.
The Caucasus and regions of northern Africa are considered the places from which the almond tree spread throughout Eurasia. The photo that is attached to this material allows you to appreciate the beauty of this plant. Today the Mediterranean and China are the richest areas of almond cultivation. A lot of it is grown in the United States.
Thanks to almonds, the small town of Agrigento in Sicily is known throughout the world. Here it blooms profusely in February. The entire Valley of the Temples is filled with marzipan aroma, which exude pink flowers. At this time, all fans of the beautiful tree come to the town for the festival. This tradition has been going on for over fifty years. The combination of ancient temples, the sea and delicate almond flowers is extremely romantic. This attracts thousands of tourists here.
