The Mallorcan Almond

Almendra de Mallorca

The Mallorcan almond is a fruit of the almond family (Prunus Amygdalus) destined for human consumption and protected by the Indicación Geográfica Protegida. This fruit is eaten in two ways with different characteristics:

  • Crude: This is with or without the almond’s skin. Without the skin is characterized by its matte, white mean with a smooth texture. It has a slightly sweet flavor and a very storing aroma. With its skin, it will look brown and have a rough texture.
  • Toasted: The toasted almond, which is roasted, has a vanilla-brown color, a hard texture, and a shiny appearance. It has a slightly sweet flavor with a touch of bitterness because of the toasting. If it still has the skin on it, it will have a dark brown color and it will be easy to break.

The almonds are sold in bundles of identical nuts, and they never exceed 25 kg (55 lbs.). The Mallorcan almond is differentiated by its special properties: a high lipid content, a percentage of oleic acid that is greater than or equal to 88%, and fatty acids with a low melting point that are blended during chewing. They are sold whole, healthily, dry, clean, and of a superior caliber at a maximum of12 mm around the center. And there are never any marks from fungi, parasites, insects, or strange smells or flavors.

History

The cultivation of almonds trees back to the Roman Era, who were the ones to introduce the practice. In the 18th century, these plantations increased considerably due to the plague of the phylloxera (insect) because the farmers had to cut their vines and plant almonds. In the 19th century, was another important point era for the planting of almond trees in Mallorca. Finally, the numerous references to Mallorcan almonds have also been decisive in both the historical literature and the current media. Some examples of these appearances include: Die Balearen (1869 by the archduke Luis Salvador), the Crónica de las Islas Baleares by Fernando Fulgosio (1870), El Almendro y su Cultivo en el Mediodía de España e Islas Baleares (1907) by Pedro Etelrich, or the Historia Económica de España, Siglos X-XX by Francisco Comín, Mauro Hernández, and Enrique Llopis.

Tags

It may interest you...

About the author

RD