(AH-mund, AM-und) – It is the kernel of the fruit of the almond tree that is native of the warmer parts of western Asia and North Africa. It belongs to the same group of plants as the rose, plum, cherry, and peach. The seed is rounded at one end and pointed at the other, and covered with a thin brown coat. There are two types of almonds – sweet and bitter. Today, Americans give guests at weddings a bag of sugared almonds (representing children, happiness, romance, good health, and fortune). In Sweden, cinnamon-flavored rice pudding with an almond hidden inside is a Christmas custom (find it and good fortune is yours for a year).

Almonds were well know in Greece and Italy long before the Christian era. Explorers ate almonds while traveling the “Silk Road” between Asia and the Mediterranean. Before long, almond trees flourished in the Mediterranean (especially in Spain and Italy). Throughout history, almonds have maintained religious, ethnic, and social significance. The Bible’s “Book of Numbers” tells the story of Aaron’s rod that blossomed and bore almonds, giving the almond the symbolism of divine approval. The Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm. In the mid 1700s, the Franciscan Padres brought almond trees to California from Spain.