Sweet almond

The almond tree can grow in dry soils, yet it is still able to produce a crunchy nut with a delicious and delicate sweet flavour. Known for five or six thousand years in Iran, the almond tree spread across the whole Mediterranean basin before arriving in California in the 19th century. It was perfectly adapted to this hot, dry region and California soon became the world centre for its fruit, the almond. The almond tree carries many symbols, such as immortality, or “the essence hidden within things of little apparent importance”. It also has many benefits: as a delicious edible nut, a treatment for coughs, an aid for improving and soothing the digestive system and for its skin benefits.