Blossoming almonds and almond trees are celebrated in Portugal as spring approaches
Almonds, originally from the Middle East, are versatile: they are eaten pure, toasted or salted, or even in sweet recipes, such as in chocolate, or in savory dishes, to add that dose of crunchiness.
But have you ever stopped to think where these dried fruits so widespread throughout the world come from? On our gastronomic journey this time, we went to Alta Mora, in the Algarve, in the south of Portugal, to attend the 3rd Almond Blossom Festival. The celebration involves a lot of Algarve culture, tradition and, of course, food and included a 42-metre almond paste cake, enough to satisfy the sweet tooth of over a thousand attendees at the celebration.
But, by far, the biggest attraction of the Algarve celebration, native to the Algarve region, is the landscape characterized by the profusion of almond trees painted white, with a slight hint of pink. Among the flowering trees, on one branch or another, you can see almonds waiting to be harvested.
Here it is important to underline that the production is modest and extremely artisanal. According to the organizer of the event, Valter Matias, the idea of the festival is precisely to preserve the gastronomic culture surrounding the almond. “We don’t produce on a large scale and our almonds are special precisely because they are very natural and harvested the old fashioned way,” he explains.
In addition to the Algarve, the cultivation of almonds, introduced in Portugal during the Arab domination, is present in other regions, such as Alentejo, Beira-Interior, Tras-os-Montes (with seal of geographical indication) and Douro, where the almonds have the Protected Designation of Origin. However, despite the quality of Portuguese almonds, the production of this dried fruit represents only 1% of global production, largely dominated by the United States.
A little magic
The flowering almond trees that cover the Algarve in white are linked to a legend, full of poetry, as it should be. NoAt the time when Al-Gharb (which gave rise to the Algarve) belonged to the Arabs, the young caliph Ibn-Almundim fell in love and married Gilda, daughter of a great lord of the Northern peoples, defeated in combat by the Moorish kings.
Despite the reciprocated love, the princess gradually fell into a sadness that only ended when a wise Nordic man told the king that Gilda missed the whiteness of the snow-covered fields of her country. Ibn-Almundim then ordered hundreds of almond trees to be planted next to the windows of the palace: the profusion of white, especially at the beginning of spring, brought joy back to the sovereign.
Legend aside, the beauty of flowering almond trees and the fruit that comes from them deserve all the celebration that surrounds them. If you want to attend the celebrations, next year’s festival already has a set date: it will be from January 31st to February 2nd.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
