John Myers
Almonds are found in sweet pastries, are valued as a snack, and can be used as a crunchy salad topping. Here you can find out what you should know about purchasing, storing, and processing this versatile food.
Things to know about almonds
Contrary to popular belief, almonds are not nuts. These are the seeds of the drupes of the almond tree, which in turn belongs to the rose family. There are different types of almonds, which are harvested from August at the earliest until well into autumn. In addition to sweet almonds, there are bitter almonds, which contain toxic substances and are not suitable for consumption raw. The substances can be rendered harmless by heating, so that you can use bitter almonds to bake Christmas stollen and other desserts and give them a special aroma.
Purchasing and storage
Shelled almonds are rarely found on the market; whole almonds without the shell are usually sold. When people talk about “peeling almonds”, they often don’t mean cracking the stone fruit, but rather removing the brown skin on natural products. Blanched almonds are already skinned. The range of baked goods also includes ground, diced, and sliced almonds. Almond flour must be distinguished from ground almonds: it is de-oiled and has a significantly lower fat content. All almond products should be stored in a dry, dark, and cool place to prevent mold growth.
Cooking tips for almonds
The drupe seeds can be used in many ways in the kitchen. A simple and popular recipe is that for roasted almonds. As a baking ingredient, almonds are not only used directly but also in the form of marzipan. The sweet mass consists of ground almonds and sugar. Our marzipan recipes show you the culinary spectrum that can be implemented with them. Chopped almonds also make a crunchy topping for soups and salads, or you can grind whole almonds and bake them in delicious almond bread.
