{{short description|Species of nut}} {{Other uses}} {{pp|small=yes}} {{Use British English|date=March 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Speciesbox | image = Almonds - in shell, shell cracked open, shelled, blanched.jpg | image_caption = Clockwise from top left: almonds with shell cracked open, shelled, unshelled, and blanched seed | image2 = Ametllesjuliol.jpg | image2_caption = Almond tree with ripening fruit | image2_alt = Branch of tree with green fruit | genus = Prunus | parent = Prunus subg. Amygdalus | species = amygdalus | authority = Batsch, 1801 | synonyms_ref = <ref name="powo">{{cite web |title=''Prunus amygdalus'' Batsch |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60439867-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Kew Science |access-date=8 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/rjp-375 |title=The Plant List, ''Prunus dulcis'' (Mill.) D.A.Webb |access-date=3 February 2016 |archive-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713181247/http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/rjp-375 |url-status=live }}</ref> | synonyms = {{collapsible list |title=Replaced syn.|{{species list |Amygdalus communis|L., 1753 }}}}{{collapsible list |title=Homotypic|{{species list |Amygdalus amygdalus |(Batsch) Frye & Rigg, 1912 nom. illeg. |Druparia amygdalus |(Batsch) Clairv., 1811 |Prunus communis |(L.) Arcang., 1882 nom. illeg. }}}}{{collapsible list |title=Heterotypic|{{species list |Amygdalus amara |Duhamel, 1768 |Amygdalus amygdalina |Oken ex M.Roem., 1847 |Amygdalus cochinchinensis |Lour., 1790 |Amygdalus communis var. fragilis |Ser., 1825 |Amygdalus communis var. macrocarpa |Ser., 1825 |Amygdalus decipiens |Poit. & Turpin, 1830 |Amygdalus dulcis |Mill., 1768 |Amygdalus elata |Salisb., 1796 |Amygdalus korshinskyi var. bornmuelleri |Browicz, 1974 |Amygdalus sativa |Mill., 1768 |Amygdalus sinensis |Steud., 1840 |Amygdalus stocksiana |Boiss., 1856 |Persica |Mill., 1754 |Prunus cochinchinensis |(Lour.) Koehne, 1915 |Prunus dulcis |(Mill.) D.A.Webb, 1967 nom. superfl. |Prunus dulcis var. amara |(Duhamel) Buchheim, 1972 |Prunus dulcis var. fragilis |(Ser.) Buchheim, 1972 |Prunus dulcis var. spontanea |(Korsh.) Buchheim, 1972 |Prunus intermedia |A.Sav., 1882 |Prunus stocksiana |(Boiss.) Brandis, 1906 |Trichocarpus |Neck., 1790 }}}} }}
The '''almond''' ('''''Prunus amygdalus''''', syn. '''''Prunus dulcis''''' (Mill.) D.A.Webb, nom. illeg. non ''Prunus dulcis'' Rouchy) is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the woody shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.
The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut.<ref name="eb">{{cite web |last=Petruzzello |first=M. |title=Almond – tree and nut |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/almond |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=25 April 2024 |date=11 April 2024}}</ref> ''Shelling'' almonds refers to removing the shell to reveal the seed. Almonds are sold shelled or unshelled. Blanched almonds are unshelled almonds that have been treated with hot water to soften the outer skin, which is then removed to reveal the white embryo. Once almonds are cleaned and processed, they can be stored for around a year if kept refrigerated; at higher temperatures they will become rancid more quickly.<ref name="k109">{{cite web |title=Do Almonds Go Bad? 3 Ways to Tell Almonds Are Spoiled |website=Alice's Kitchen |date=14 December 2023 |url=https://www.alices.kitchen/guide/do-almonds-go-bad/ |access-date=2024-11-09}}</ref> Almonds are used in many cuisines, often featuring prominently in desserts, such as marzipan.<ref name=eb/>
The almond tree prospers in a moderate Mediterranean climate with cool winter weather.<ref name=eb/> It is rarely found wild in its original setting.<ref name=ladizinsky99>{{cite journal |last=Ladizinsky |first=G. |title=On the origin of almond |s2cid=25141013 |journal=Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution|volume= 46|year=1999|pages= 143–147|doi=10.1023/A:1008690409554|issue= 2 |bibcode=1999GRCEv..46..143L }}</ref> Almonds were one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees, due to the ability to produce quality offspring entirely from seed, without using suckers and cuttings. Evidence of domesticated almonds in the Early Bronze Age has been found in the archeological sites of the Middle East, and subsequently across the Mediterranean region and similar arid climates with cool winters.
California produces about 80% of the world's almond supply.<ref name=eb/> Due to high acreage and water demand for almond cultivation, and need for pesticides, California almond production may be unsustainable, especially during the persistent drought and heat from climate change in the 21st century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=17 August 2021 |title=Climate Change In California Is Threatening The World's Top Almond Producer |work=NPR |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028452988/climate-change-california-drought-heat-almond-production |access-date=21 May 2022}}</ref> Droughts in California have caused some producers to leave the industry, leading to lower supply and increased prices.<ref name=":0" />
== Description ==
The almond is a deciduous tree growing to {{convert|3|-|4.5|m|0|abbr=off}} in height,<ref name=eb/><ref>{{Cite book |last=U.S. Department of the Army |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2p7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10 |title=The Official U.S. Army Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=Lyons Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4930-4039-1 |location=Guilford, Connecticut |page=10 |oclc=1043567121}}</ref> with a trunk of up to {{convert|30|cm|0|abbr=off}} in diameter. The young twigs are green at first, becoming purplish where exposed to sunlight, then grey in their second year. The leaves are {{convert|3|-|5|in|cm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} long,<ref>Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. ''Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada''. Macmillan, New York.</ref> with a serrated margin and a {{convert|2.5|cm|0|abbr=on}} petiole.
The fragrant flowers are white to pale pink, {{convert|3|-|5|cm|0|abbr=on}} diameter with five petals, produced singly or in pairs and appearing before the leaves in early spring.<ref name=eb/><ref name=rushforth>{{cite book|last=Rushforth |first=Keith |title=Collins wildlife trust guide trees: a photographic guide to the trees of Britain and Europe |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |year=1999 |isbn=0-00-220013-9}}</ref><ref name=rhs>{{cite book |last1=Griffiths |first1=Mark D. |last2=Huxley |first2=Anthony Julian |title=The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening |publisher=Macmillan Press |location=London |year=1992 |isbn=0-333-47494-5}}</ref> Almond trees thrive in Mediterranean climates with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.<ref name=eb/> The optimal temperature for their growth is between {{convert|15|and|30|C|F}} and the tree buds have a chilling requirement of 200 to 700 hours below {{convert|7.2|°C|°F|abbr=on}} to break dormancy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fruit Cultural Data — P – California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.|url=https://crfg.org/home/library/crfg-fruit-list/fruit-cultural-data-2/fruit-cultural-data-p/|access-date=2020-06-12|language=en-US|archive-date=19 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319062538/https://crfg.org/home/library/crfg-fruit-list/fruit-cultural-data-2/fruit-cultural-data-p/}}</ref>
Almonds begin bearing an economic crop in the third year after planting. Trees reach full bearing five to six years after planting. The fruit matures in the autumn, 7–8 months after flowering.<ref name=rhs/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu/files/almondvs08sprink.pdf |title=University of California Sample Cost Study to Produce Almonds |access-date=17 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326084336/http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu/files/almondvs08sprink.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2012 }}</ref>
The almond fruit is {{cvt|3.5|-|6|cm|in|frac=8}} long. It is not a nut but a drupe. The outer covering, consisting of an outer exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh, fleshy in other members of ''Prunus'' such as the plum and cherry, is instead a thick, leathery, grey-green coat (with a downy exterior), called the hull. Inside the hull is a woody endocarp which forms a reticulated, hard shell (like the outside of a peach pit) called the pyrena. Inside the shell is the edible seed, commonly called a nut.<ref name=eb/> Generally, one seed is present, but occasionally two occur. After the fruit matures, the hull splits and separates from the shell, and an abscission layer forms between the stem and the fruit so that the fruit can fall from the tree.<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Doll |date=22 June 2009 |title=The Seasonal Patterns of Almond Production |url=https://thealmonddoctor.com/2009/06/22/the-seasonal-patterns-of-almond-production/ |website=The Almond Doctor |publisher=University of California Cooperative Extension |access-date=14 August 2018 |archive-date=14 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814142153/https://thealmonddoctor.com/2009/06/22/the-seasonal-patterns-of-almond-production/ }}</ref> During harvest, mechanised tree shakers are used to expedite fruits falling to the ground for collection.<ref name=eb/>
<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=160 heights=160> File:بادام و شکوفه بادام.JPG|Almond blossoms File:Kulturmandel unreife Früchte.JPG|Young almond fruit File:Green almonds.jpg|Green almonds File:Madrigueras (20578932389) (cropped).jpg|Mature almond nut File:Almond shell.jpg|Almond shell File:Almond with two kernels.jpg|A rare double-seeded shell File:Almonds.png|Harvested almonds File:Blanched almonds.jpg|Blanched almonds </gallery>
== Taxonomy ==
=== Scientific name ===
The almond was named ''Amygdalus communis'' by Carl Linnaeus in his Species plantarum in 1753.<ref>{{cite book|author=Linnaeus, C. |title=Species plantarum |date=1753 |page=473 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/26068436}}</ref> For the name 'Amygdalus' he referred to Gaspard Bauhin's ''Pinax'' (1623). In 1801 the species was for the first time placed in the genus ''Prunus'' by August Batsch.<ref>{{cite book |last=Batsch |first=A.J.G.C. |title=Beyträge und Entwürfe zur pragmatischen Geschichte der drey Natur-Reiche nach ihren Verwandtschaften |date=1801 |volume=Gewächsreich 1 |page=30 |url=https://collections.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/HisBest_derivate_00024727/237204266_0036.tif}}</ref> In that genus, the name ''Prunus communis'' was no longer available because in 1778 William Hudson had already assigned it to a taxon in which he included the plum (''Prunus domestica'').<ref>{{cite book |last=Hudson |first=W. |date=1778 |title=Flora anglica, editio altera |volume=1 |page=212 |url=https://bibdigital.rjb.csic.es/viewer/11184/?offset=#page=255&viewer=picture&o=bookmark&n=0&q= }}</ref> Batsch thereupon named the species ''Prunus amygdalus'', where 'amygdalus' is the old generic name and should therefore be treated as a noun in apposition. Meanwhile, in 1768, Philip Miller had published the name of what he believed to be a second species of almond: ''Amygdalus dulcis''.<ref>{{cite book|author=Miller, Ph. |date=1768 |title=The Gardener's Dictionary |edition=8 |page=AMY |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/394540 }}</ref> He mentioned Linnaeus' ''Amygdalus communis'' as the first species. It was not until 1967 that the combination ''Prunus dulcis'' was published for the almond by David Allardice Webb, on the assumption that ''Amygdalus dulcis'' was nothing more than a synonym of ''Amygdalus communis'', and thus an available name for that species. The epithet ''dulcis'' (1768) is older than ''amygdalus'' (1801) and would therefore have priority. Webb noted that it was unfortunate that a species known for 165 years as ''Prunus amygdalus'' now had to be renamed under the rules of nomenclature. However, it later turned out that in 1967 the name ''Prunus dulcis'' was no longer available for the almond because it had already been used for a cherry in an 1878 publication by L'Abbé Rouchy.<ref>{{cite journal|author=L'Abbé Rouchy |date=1878 |title=Sur quelques espèces dites Jordaniques |journal=Compte rendu de l'Association Française pour l'Avancement des Sciences |volume=6 |page=592 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/5409352 }}</ref> The oldest valid combination in ''Prunus'' is therefore ''Prunus amygdalus''.<ref>{{cite web|author= <!-- not stated --> |url=http://legacy.tropicos.org/Name/27802199?projectid=32 |title=''Prunus amygdalus'' Batsch |website=Tropicos.org: Flora of Pakistan |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=23 July 2025}}</ref>
=== Sweet and bitter almonds ===
thumb|Almond blossom
thumb|Blossoming of bitter almond tree
The seeds of ''Prunus amygdalus'' var. ''dulcis'' are predominantly sweet<ref>{{cite web|last=Karl-Franzens-Universität (Graz)|title=Almond (Prunus dulcis [Mill.] D. A. Webb.)|url=http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Prun_dul.html|access-date=10 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514021042/http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Prun_dul.html|archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Almond and bitter almond|url=http://www.chow.com/ingredients/265|work=from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com|access-date=8 April 2011| archive-url= https://archive.today/20110511175227/http://www.chow.com/ingredients/265| archive-date= 11 May 2011 <!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->| url-status= live}}</ref> but some individual trees produce seeds that are somewhat more bitter.<ref name="eb" /> The genetic basis for bitterness involves a single gene, the bitter flavour furthermore being recessive,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Heppner |first=Myer J |date=7 April 1923 |title=The factor for bitterness in the sweet almond |journal=Genetics |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=390–392 |doi=10.1093/genetics/8.4.390 |pmc=1200758 |pmid=17246020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dicenta |first1=Federico |last2=Ortega |first2=Encarnacion |last3=Martinez-Gomez |first3=Pedro |s2cid=9893400 |date=January 2007 |title=Use of recessive homozygous genotypes to assess genetic control of kernel bitterness in almond |journal=Euphytica |publisher=Springer |volume=153 |issue=1–2 |pages=221–225 |doi=10.1007/s10681-006-9257-6 |bibcode=2007Euphy.153..221D }}<!--|access-date=4 March 2014--></ref> both aspects making this trait easier to domesticate. The fruits from ''Prunus amygdalus'' var. ''amara'' are always bitter, as are the kernels from other species of genus ''Prunus'', such as apricot, peach and cherry (although to a lesser extent).
The bitter almond is slightly broader and shorter than the sweet almond and contains about 50% of the fixed oil that occurs in sweet almonds. It contains the enzyme emulsin which, in the presence of water, acts on the two soluble glucosides amygdalin and prunasin<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sánchez-Pérez |first1=Raquel |last2=Belmonte |first2=Fara Sáez |last3=Borch |first3=Jonas |last4=Dicenta |first4=Federico |last5=Møller |first5=Birger Lindberg |last6=Jørgensen |first6=Kirsten |title=Prunasin hydrolases during fruit development in sweet and bitter almonds |journal=Plant Physiology |volume=158 |issue=4 |pages=1916–32 |date=April 2012 |pmid=22353576 |pmc=3320195 |doi=10.1104/pp.111.192021}}</ref> yielding glucose, cyanide and the essential oil of bitter almonds, which is nearly pure benzaldehyde, the chemical causing the bitter flavour. Bitter almonds may yield 4–9 milligrams of hydrogen cyanide per almond<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shragg |first1=T. A. |last2=Albertson |first2=T. E. |last3=Fisher |first3=C. J. |title=Cyanide poisoning after bitter almond ingestion |journal=The Western Journal of Medicine |volume=136 |issue=1 |pages=65–9 |date=January 1982 |pmid=7072244 |pmc=1273391 }}</ref> and contain 42 times higher amounts of cyanide than the trace levels found in sweet almonds.<ref name="isrn">{{cite journal |last1=Chaouali |first1=Nadia |last2=Gana |first2=Ines |last3=Dorra |first3=Amira |last4=Khelifi |first4=Fathia |last5=Nouioui |first5=Anouer |last6=Masri |first6=Wafa |last7=Belwaer |first7=Ines |last8=Ghorbel |first8=Hayet |last9=Hedhili |first9=Abderazzek |title=Potential Toxic Levels of Cyanide in Almonds ( Prunus amygdalus ), Apricot Kernels ( Prunus armeniaca ), and Almond Syrup |journal=ISRN Toxicology |volume=2013 |date=19 September 2013 |issn=2090-6196 |pmid=24171123 |pmc=3793392 |doi=10.1155/2013/610648 |doi-access=free |pages=1–6}}</ref> The origin of cyanide content in bitter almonds is via the enzymatic hydrolysis of amygdalin.<ref name="isrn"/> P450 monooxygenases are involved in the amygdalin biosynthetic pathway. A point mutation in a bHLH transcription factor prevents transcription of the two cytochrome P450 genes, resulting in the sweet kernel trait.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sánchez-Pérez|first1=R.|last2=Pavan|first2=S.|last3=Mazzeo|first3=R.|last4=Moldovan|first4=C.|last5=Aiese Cigliano|first5=R.|last6=Del Cueto|first6=J.|last7=Ricciardi|first7=F.|last8=Lotti|first8=C.|last9=Ricciardi|first9=L.|s2cid=189818379|date=14 June 2019|title=Mutation of a bHLH transcription factor allowed almond domestication|journal=Science|language=en|volume=364|issue=6445|pages=1095–1098|doi=10.1126/science.aav8197|pmid=31197015|bibcode=2019Sci...364.1095S|issn=0036-8075|doi-access=free|hdl=11586/236719|hdl-access=free}}</ref>
=== Etymology ===
The word ''almond'' is a loanword from Old French {{lang|fro|almande}} or {{lang|fro|alemande}},<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |cite EB1911 |wstitle=Almond |volume=1 |page=716}}</ref> descended from Late Latin {{lang|la|amandula}}, {{lang|la|amindula}}, modified from Classical Latin {{lang|la|amygdala}}, which is in turn borrowed from Ancient Greek {{transliteration|grc|amygdálē}} ({{lang|grc|ἀμυγδάλη}})<ref name=EB1911/><ref name="oed">{{cite web |title=Almond |url=https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=almond |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=2023}}</ref> (cf. amygdala, an almond-shaped portion of the brain).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Almond |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/almond |dictionary=Dictionary.com |access-date=16 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427091114/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/almond |archive-date=27 April 2012}}</ref> Late Old English had ''amygdales'' 'almonds'.<ref name="oed"/>
The adjective ''amygdaloid'' (literally 'like an almond, almond-like') is used to describe objects which are roughly almond-shaped, particularly a shape which is part way between a triangle and an ellipse. For example, the amygdala of the brain uses a direct borrowing of the Greek term {{transliteration|grc|amygdalē}}.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Amygdaloid Complex: Anatomy and Physiology |last1=Sah |first1=P. |last2=Faber |first2=E. S. L. |last3=Lopez De Armentia |first3=M. |last4=Power |first4=J. |s2cid=16456971 |doi=10.1152/physrev.00002.2003 |journal=Physiological Reviews |date=1 July 2003 |volume=83 |pages=803–834 |issue=3 |pmid=12843409}}</ref>
== Origin and distribution ==
The precise origin of the almond is controversial due to estimates for its emergence across wide geographic regions. Sources indicate that its origins were in an area stretching across Central Asia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq,<ref name=kole/> or in an eastern Asian subregion between Mongolia and Uzbekistan.<ref name="chin">{{cite journal |last1=Chin |first1=Siew-Wai |last2=Shaw |first2=Joey |last3=Haberle |first3=Rosemarie |last4=Wen |first4=Jun |last5=Potter |first5=Dan |title=Diversification of almonds, peaches, plums and cherries – Molecular systematics and biogeographic history of Prunus (Rosaceae) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=July 2014 |volume=76 |pages=34–48 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2014.02.024 |pmid=24631854 |bibcode=2014MolPE..76...34C |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105579031400089X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In other assessments, both botanical and archaeological evidence indicates that almonds originated and were first cultivated in West Asia, particularly in countries of the Levant.<ref name=ladizinsky99/><ref name="kole">{{cite book |last1=Martínez-Gómez |first1=Pedro |last2=Sánchez-Pérez |first2=Raquel |last3=Dicenta |first3=Federico |last4=Howad |first4=Werner |last5=Arús |first5=Pere |last6=Gradziel |first6=Thomas M. |year=2007 |chapter=Almond (Chapter 11) |editor=Kole, C. |title=Fruits and Nuts. Genome Mapping and Molecular Breeding in Plants |volume=4 |publisher=Springer |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_11 |isbn=978-3-540-34533-6 |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-34533-6_11}}</ref> Most recent sources specified Iran and Anatolia (present day Turkey) as origin locations of the almond, with Iran as the main origin centre.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rahemi |first=Alireza |date=2024-05-23 |title=Diversity and Distribution of Almonds in their Center of Origin |url=https://crimsonpublishers.com/boj/fulltext/BOJ.000595.php |journal=Biodiversity Online J |language=English |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=1–4|quote= Iran is the world's most important gene pool for wild almonds. So far, 23 species and 7 of their interspecies hybrids have been reported in Iran. These species are distributed in different habitats of Iran, some of which are endemic. Therefore, without any doubt, almonds originated and were probably domesticated in this area and then spread to other areas.}}</ref><ref name="BĀDĀM – Encyclopaedia Iranica">{{Cite web |publisher=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Badam (almond) |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/badam-almond|date=19 August 2011 |access-date=2 July 2024|quote=*Iran and Anatolia were the center in which its various species evolved and from which they were diffused *The ''Amygdalus communis'' (or ''Prunus amygdalus''), though undoubtedly native to the Iranian land-mass, is seldom found in natural stands there today.}}</ref>
The wild form of domesticated almond grew in parts of the Levant.<ref name=kole/><ref name="zohary">{{cite book |last1=Zohary |first1=Daniel |title=Domestication of plants in the old world: the origin and spread of cultivated plants in West Asia, Europe, and the Nile Valley |last2=Hopf |first2=Maria |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-19-850356-3 |page=186}}</ref> Almond cultivation was spread by humans centuries ago along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea into northern Africa and southern Europe,<ref name=kole/><ref name=chin/> and more recently to other world regions, notably California.<ref name=eb/><ref name=Rieger>{{Cite web |url=https://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Almond/ |title=Almond |publisher=Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California |date=2024|access-date=2 July 2024}}</ref>
Selection of the sweet type from the many bitter types in the wild marked the beginning of almond domestication.<ref name=ladizinsky99/><ref name="sp">{{cite book |last=Sánchez-Pérez |first=Raquel |title=The Almond Tree Genome |publisher=Springer Nature |year=2023 |isbn=978-3-030-30302-0 |editor=Sánchez-Pérez |editor-first=Raquel |series=Compendium of Plant Genomes |location=Berlin |pages=15–24 |chapter=Origin and Domestication of Wild Bitter Almond. Recent Advancements on Almond Bitterness |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-30302-0_2 |editor-last2=i Marti |editor-first2=Angel Fernandez |editor-last3=Martinez-Gomez |editor-first3=Pedro |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30302-0_2}}</ref> The wild ancestor of the almond used to breed the domesticated species is unknown.<ref name=ladizinsky99/><ref name=sp/> The species ''Prunus fenzliana'' may be the most likely wild ancestor of the almond, in part because it is native to Armenia and western Azerbaijan, where it was apparently domesticated.<ref name=ladizinsky99 /><ref name=kole/> Wild almond species were grown by early farmers, "at first unintentionally in the garbage heaps, and later intentionally in their orchards".<ref>{{cite book |last=Diamond |first=Jared M. |author-link=Jared Diamond |title=Guns, germs, and steel: the fates of human societies |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York |year=1997 |page=118 |isbn=0-393-03891-2|title-link=Guns, Germs, and Steel }}</ref>
== Cultivation ==
[[File:Baburnama illustration.jpg|thumb|upright|Mughal miniature depiction of the almond harvest at Qand-i Badam, Fergana Valley (16th century)<ref>{{cite web|last=Bhawani |url=http://warfare.atspace.eu/Moghul/Baburnama/Harvesting_of_the_almond_crop_at_Qand-i_Badam.htm |title=Harvesting of the almond crop at Qand-i Badam |date=1590s |work=Baburnama}}</ref>]] thumb|A grove of almond trees thumb|An almond shaker before and during a tree's harvest
Almonds were one of the earliest domesticated fruit trees owing to their ability to be grown from seed,<ref name=ladizinsky99 /> allowing their cultivation to have perhaps predated the advent of grafting.<ref name="zohary" />
Domesticated almonds appear in the Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 BCE), such as the archaeological sites of Numeira (Jordan),<ref name="ladizinsky99" /> or possibly earlier. They were found in Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt ({{Circa|1325 BCE}}), probably imported from the Levant.<ref name="zohary" />
Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century ''Book on Agriculture'' includes an article on almond tree cultivation in Spain.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn al-'Awwam |first=Yaḥyá |author-link=Ibn al-'Awwam|title=Le livre de l'agriculture d'Ibn-al-Awam (kitab-al-felahah) |year=1864|location=Paris|publisher=A. Franck|translator=J.-J. Clement-Mullet |pages=260–263 (ch. 7 – Article 20)|url=https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n14/mode/2up |language=fr|oclc=780050566}} (pp. [https://archive.org/details/lelivredelagric00algoog/page/n368/mode/2up 260]–263 (Article XX)</ref>
Of the European countries that the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh reported as cultivating almonds, Germany<ref>{{cite web |url=http://193.62.154.38/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Prunus&SPECIES_XREF=dulcis&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= |title=''Flora Europaea'' Search Results |access-date=17 July 2008 |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511164917/http://193.62.154.38/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Prunus&SPECIES_XREF=dulcis&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= }}</ref> is the northernmost, though the domesticated form can be found as far north as Iceland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Prunus+dulcis |title=''Prunus dulcis'' |access-date=17 July 2008 |publisher=Plants for a Future |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819002033/http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Prunus+dulcis |archive-date=19 August 2007 }}</ref>
=== Varieties ===
Almond trees are small to medium-sized but commercial cultivars can be grafted onto a different root-stock to produce smaller trees. Varieties include:{{cn|date=March 2025}}
* {{lang|fr|italics=unset|Nonpareil}} – originates in the 1800s. A large tree that produces large, smooth, thin-shelled almonds with 60–65% edible kernel per nut. Requires pollination from other almond varieties for good nut production.<ref name=ARS/> * {{lang|it|italics=unset|Tuono}} – originates in Italy. Has thicker, hairier shells with only 32% of edible kernel per nut. The thicker shell gives some protection from pests such as the navel orangeworm. Does not require pollination by other almond varieties.<ref name=ARS/> * Mariana – used as a rootstock to result in smaller trees
Breeding programs have found a high shell-seal trait, which reduces insect damage and mold contamination.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://almondboard.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Est-Varieties-5-Carina.pdf |title=All about almonds| date=January 2017|publisher= Horticulture Innovation Australia|access-date=10 March 2026}}</ref>
=== Pollination ===
The most widely planted varieties of almond are self-incompatible; hence these trees require pollen from a tree with different genetic characters to produce seeds. Almond orchards therefore must grow mixtures of almond varieties. In addition, the pollen is transferred from flower to flower by insects; therefore commercial growers must ensure there are enough insects to perform this task.<ref name="van Wyk 2019">{{cite book |last1=van Wyk |first1=Ben-Erik |title=Food plants of the world |date=2019 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1-78924-130-3 |page=342 |edition=2nd}}</ref> The large scale of almond production in the U.S. creates a significant problem of providing enough pollinating insects. Additional pollinating insects are therefore brought to the trees. The pollination of California's almonds is the largest annual managed pollination event in the world, with over 1 million hives (nearly half of all beehives in the U.S.) being brought to the almond orchards each February.<ref name=eb/><ref name=bloom/>
Much of the supply of bees is managed by pollination brokers, who contract with migratory beekeepers from at least 49 states for the event. This business was heavily affected by colony collapse disorder at the turn of the 21st century, causing a nationwide shortage of honey bees and increasing the price of insect pollination. To partially protect almond growers from these costs, researchers at the Agricultural Research Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), developed self-pollinating almond trees that combine this character with quality characters such as a flavour and yield.<ref name=ARS>{{cite web |author=Alfredo Flores |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2010/ars-scientists-develop-self-pollinating-almond-trees/ |title=ARS Scientists Develop Self-pollinating Almond Trees |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017050714/http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2010/100406.htm |archive-date=17 October 2010 |publisher=USDA Agricultural Research Service |date=6 April 2010}}</ref>
=== Diseases ===
{{Main|List of almond diseases}}
Almond trees can be attacked by an array of damaging microbes, fungal pathogens, plant viruses, and bacteria.<ref name="PlantVillage">{{cite web | title=Almond – Diseases and Pests, Description, Uses, Propagation | website=PlantVillage | url=http://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/almond/infos | access-date=2019-12-11}}</ref>
=== Pests ===
Pavement ants (''Tetramorium caespitum''), southern fire ants (''Solenopsis xyloni''), and thief ants (''Solenopsis molesta'') are seed predators.<ref name="PlantVillage" /> ''Bryobia rubrioculus'' mites are most known for their damage to this crop.<ref name="Bryobia-rubrioculus-UCANR">{{cite web | url=http://www.ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/almond/Brown-Mite/ | publisher=UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) | title=Brown Mite / Almond / Agriculture: Pest Management Guidelines / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM)}}</ref>
=== Sustainability ===
Almond production in California is concentrated mainly in the Central Valley,<ref name="bi">{{Cite news |last1=Brodwin |first1=E. |last2=Lee |first2=S. |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/amount-of-water-needed-to-grow-one-almond-orange-tomato-2015-4 |title=Chart shows how some of your favorite foods could be making California's drought worse |date=8 April 2015 |work=Business Insider|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> where the mild climate, rich soil, abundant sunshine and water supply make for ideal growing conditions. Due to the persistent droughts in California in the early 21st century, it became more difficult to raise almonds in a sustainable manner.<ref name="npr">{{cite web |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Richard |title=How Almonds Became A Scapegoat For California's Drought |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/04/16/399958203/how-almonds-became-a-scapegoat-for-californias-drought |publisher=US National Public Radio |access-date=16 April 2019 |date=16 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="bloom">{{cite news |last1=Bjerga |first1=Alan |last2=Cohen |first2=Donna |last3=Hoffman |first3=Cindy |title=California Almonds Are Back After Four Years of Brutal Drought |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-thirst-for-almonds/ |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref> The issue is complex because of the high amount of water needed to produce almonds: a single almond requires roughly {{convert|1.1|usgal|impgal l|abbr=off}} of water to grow properly.<ref name=bi/><ref name=npr/><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mekonnen |first1=M. M. |last2=Hoekstra |first2=A. Y. |title=The green, blue and grey water footprint of crops and derived crop products |url=https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/15/1577/2011/hess-15-1577-2011.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=19 June 2021 |website=Copernicus |publisher=Twente Water Centre, University of Twente |publication-place=Enschede, The Netherlands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123145145/https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/15/1577/2011/hess-15-1577-2011.pdf|archive-date=23 January 2021}}</ref> Regulations related to water supplies are changing so some growers have destroyed their current almond orchards to replace with either younger trees or a different crop such as pistachio that needs less water.<ref name="AtlasObscura2021">{{cite web |title=Why Are Almond Growers Uprooting Their Orchards? |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/uprooting-almond-orchard |website=Atlas Obscura |date=2 July 2021 |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> [[File:Almond tree in blossom (Israel).jpg|thumb|Almond tree with blossoming flowers, Valley of Elah, Israel]] California almond farmers have promoted growing use of sustainable farming practices, including introduction of water-efficient irrigation technology, funding of honeybee health research, and productively using waste biomass (such as shells) in pursuit of a zero waste industry.<ref name=bloom/><ref>{{cite web |title=Almond industry forerunner of future farm practices, sustainability program internationally recognized |url=https://www.farmprogress.com/tree-nuts/almond-industry-forerunner-future-farm-practices-sustainability-program-internationally |publisher=Western FarmPress |access-date=16 April 2019 |date=6 March 2018}}</ref>
== Production ==
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:13em; text-align:center;" |+ Almonds production <br>{{small|2023, tonnes}}<br/> |- | {{USA}} || 1,791,690 |- | {{ESP}} || 297,660 |- | {{AUS}} || 260,000 |- | {{TUR}} || 170,000 |- | {{MAR}} || 146,059 |- | '''World''' || '''3,513,970''' |- | colspan=2|{{small|Source: FAOSTAT, UN<ref name="faostat">{{cite web |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |title=Almonds (in shells) production in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity (pick lists) |publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) |date=2025 |access-date= 14 October 2025}}</ref>}} |}
In 2023, world production of almonds was 3.5 million tonnes, led by the United States with 51% of the total, followed by Spain and Australia as secondary producers (table).
<div style="display:inline-table; vertical-align:top;">{{owidslider
|start = 2024 |list = Template:OWID/Almond yields#gallery |location = commons |caption = |title = |language = |file = link=|thumb|upright=1.6|right|Almond yields |startingView = World }}</div> === Australia === Australia is the largest almond production region in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the country's almond orchards are located along the Murray River corridor in New South Wales, Victoria, or South Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Where are Australian Almonds grown? |url=http://australianalmonds.com.au/enjoy/australian_almonds/where-are-australian-almonds-grown |website=Almond Board of Australia |access-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222115633/http://australianalmonds.com.au/enjoy/australian_almonds/where-are-australian-almonds-grown |archive-date=22 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theland.com.au/story/3580611/agri-comeback-kids-of-2014/ |title=Agri-comeback kids of 2014 |first=Chris |last=Gibson |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |date=5 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222205829/http://www.theland.com.au/story/3580611/agri-comeback-kids-of-2014/ |archive-date=22 December 2015 |access-date=22 December 2015 }}</ref>
In the Australian financial year 1{{nbsp}}July 2024–30{{nbsp}}June 2025, the national almond crop fell 5%, but increased in value by 20%, to a record {{AUD|1.3 billion|link=yes}}. Exports to China (61% of total exports) increased nearly 130%, from {{cvt|33,373|t}} to {{cvt|76,132|t}}. India was the second-largest export market, at {{cvt|19,803|t}}, a tonnage similar to that of the previous financial year.<ref name="abc 2026-02-28">{{cite news |last1=Brann |first1=Matt |title=Australia's almond industry cracks $1.3 billion mark as Chinese demand rises |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-28/almond-industry-record-value-china-demand-increases/106394784 |access-date=28 February 2026 |work=ABC News (Australia) |date=28 February 2026 |language=en-AU}}</ref>
As of late February 2026, Australia was forecast to harvest a record almond crop of {{cvt|167,000|t}} in the 2025–26 financial year.<ref name="abc 2026-02-28"/>
=== Spain ===
Spain has diverse commercial cultivars of almonds grown in Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Aragón regions, and the Balearic Islands.<ref name="gain">{{cite web |url=https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Tree%20Nuts%20Annual_Madrid_EU-28_9-8-2016.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Tree%20Nuts%20Annual_Madrid_EU-28_9-8-2016.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Tree nuts annual; Almonds, shelled basis; Report number SP1619 |publisher=GAIN Report, US Department of Agriculture |date=15 September 2016 |access-date=18 January 2018}}</ref> The almond cultivar 'Marcona' is unique, having a kernel that is short, round, relatively sweet, and delicate in texture; it is marketed by name.<ref name=Gradziel>{{cite book |last=Gradziel |first=T.M. |year=2011 |title=Horticultural Reviews |volume=38 |chapter=Origin and Dissemination of Almonds |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |editor=J. Janick |doi=10.1002/9780470872376.ch2 |chapter-url=https://eurekamag.com/research/038/900/038900919.php |page=55 |access-date=10 April 2018|isbn=978-0-470-87237-6 }}</ref> Its origin is unknown, but has been grown in Spain over centuries.<ref name=Gradziel/>
=== United States === In the U.S., production is concentrated in California where {{cvt|1000000|acre|ha|order=flip}} and six different almond varieties were under cultivation in 2017, with a yield of {{convert|2.25|e9lb|e9kg|abbr=off}} of shelled almonds.<ref name="usda">{{cite web |last1=Averill |first1=Travis |title=2017 Almond Forecast |url=http://www.almonds.com/sites/default/files/content/attachments/almond_objective_report_2017_presentation.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.almonds.com/sites/default/files/content/attachments/almond_objective_report_2017_presentation.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |publisher=National Agricultural Statistics Service, US Department of Agriculture |access-date=12 November 2017 |date=6 July 2017}}</ref> California production is marked by a period of intense pollination during late winter by rented commercial bees transported by truck across the U.S. to almond groves, requiring more than half of the total U.S. commercial honeybee population.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zee |first1=Ginger |last2=Miller |first2=David |last3=Harold |first3=Kelly |last4=Miller |first4=Andrea |title=Growing California almonds takes more than half of US honeybees |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/growing-california-almonds-takes-half-us-honeybees/story?id=52265334 |access-date=1 September 2018 |work=ABC News |date=16 January 2018}}</ref> The value of total U.S. exports of shelled almonds in 2016 was $3.2 billion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Workman |first1=Daniel |title=Top Almonds Exporters by Country in 2016 |url=http://www.worldstopexports.com/top-almonds-exporters-by-country/ |publisher=World's Top Exports |access-date=12 November 2017 |date=25 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113003342/http://www.worldstopexports.com/top-almonds-exporters-by-country/ |archive-date=13 November 2017}}</ref>
All commercially grown almonds sold as food in the U.S. are sweet cultivars. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported in 2010 that some fractions of imported sweet almonds were contaminated with bitter almonds, which contain cyanide.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Toomey |first1=Valerie M. |last2=Nickum |first2=Elisa A. |last3=Flurer |first3=Cheryl L. |date=September 2012 |title=Cyanide and amygdalin as indicators of the presence of bitter almonds in imported raw almonds |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1230689 |journal=Journal of Forensic Sciences |volume=57 |issue=5 |pages=1313–7 |doi=10.1111/j.1556-4029.2012.02138.x |pmid=22564183 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725075712/https://zenodo.org/record/1230689 |archive-date=2020-07-25 |s2cid=20002210}}</ref>
== Toxicity ==
Bitter almonds contain some 40 times the trace levels of cyanide found in sweet almonds.<ref name="isrn" /> Extract of bitter almond was once used medicinally, but even in small doses, its effects are severe or lethal, especially in children; the cyanide must be removed before consumption.<ref name="isrn" /> The acute oral lethal dose of cyanide for adult humans is reported to be {{cvt|0.5|–|3.5|mg/kg|mg/lb|1}} of body weight (approximately 50 bitter almonds for the average adult), so that for children consuming 5–10 bitter almonds may be fatal.<ref name="isrn" /> Symptoms of eating such almonds include vertigo and other typical cyanide poisoning effects.<ref name=":1" />
Almonds may cause allergy or intolerance. Cross-reactivity is common with peach allergens (lipid transfer proteins) and tree nut allergens. Symptoms range from local signs and symptoms (e.g., oral allergy syndrome, contact urticaria) to systemic signs and symptoms including anaphylaxis (e.g., urticaria, angioedema, gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.food-info.net/uk/intol/almond.htm |title=Almond allergy |publisher=Food-info.net |date=26 July 2001 |access-date=17 March 2012}}</ref>
Almonds are susceptible to aflatoxin-producing moulds.<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=The high cost of aflatoxins |url=http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/Documents/The-High-Cost-of-Aflatoxins.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607090652/http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/Documents/The-High-Cost-of-Aflatoxins.pdf |archive-date=7 June 2013 |access-date=23 August 2012 |publisher=Almond Board of California}}</ref> Aflatoxins are potent carcinogenic chemicals produced by moulds such as ''Aspergillus flavus'' and ''Aspergillus parasiticus''.<ref name="Rushing">{{cite journal |last1=Rushing |first1=Blake R. |last2=Selim |first2=Mustafa I. |year=2019 |title=Aflatoxin B1: A review on metabolism, toxicity, occurrence in food, occupational exposure, and detoxification methods |journal=Food and Chemical Toxicology |volume=124 |pages=81–100 |doi=10.1016/j.fct.2018.11.047 |issn=0278-6915 |pmid=30468841 |s2cid=53720187}}</ref> The mould contamination may occur from soil, previously infested almonds, and almond pests such as navel-orange worm. High levels of mould growth typically appear as grey to black filament-like growth. It is unsafe to eat mould-infected tree nuts.
Some countries have strict limits on allowable levels of aflatoxin contamination of almonds and require adequate testing before the nuts can be marketed to their citizens. The European Union, for example, introduced a requirement since 2007 that all almond shipments to the EU be tested for aflatoxin. If aflatoxin does not meet the strict safety regulations, either the entire consignment must be reprocessed to eliminate the aflatoxin or it must be destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |year=2010 |title=Aflatoxins in food |url=http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/aflatoxins-food |publisher=European Food Safety Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2010 |title=New EU Aflatoxin Levels and Sampling Plan |url=https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=New%20EU%20Aflatoxin%20Levels%20and%20Sampling%20Plan_Brussels%20USEU_EU-27_3-9-2010.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125111951/http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/New%20EU%20Aflatoxin%20Levels%20and%20Sampling%20Plan_Brussels%20USEU_EU-27_3-9-2010.pdf |archive-date=25 November 2011 |access-date=23 August 2012 |publisher=USDA Foreign Agricultural Service}}</ref>
=== Mandatory pasteurization in California ===
After tracing cases of salmonellosis to almonds, the USDA approved a proposal by the Almond Board of California to pasteurize almonds sold to the public. After publishing the rule in March 2007, the almond pasteurization program became mandatory for California companies effective 1 September 2007.<ref>{{cite press release | title = The Food Safety Program & Almond Pasteurization | publisher = Almond Board of California | date = 17 September 2010 | url = http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/FoodQualitySafety/Pasteurization/Pages/Default.aspx | access-date = 17 September 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100125013631/http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/FoodQualitySafety/Pasteurization/Pages/Default.aspx | archive-date = 25 January 2010}}</ref> Raw, untreated California almonds have not been commercially available in the U.S. since then.
California almonds labelled "raw" must be steam-pasteurized or chemically treated with propylene oxide (PPO). This does not apply to imported almonds<ref>Agricultural Marketing Service (8 November 2006) "Almonds Grown in California: Changes to Incoming Quality Control Requirements" ({{Federal Register |71 |65373}}, {{Federal Register |71 |65374}}, {{Federal Register |71 |65375}} and {{Federal Register |71 |65376}})</ref> or almonds sold from the grower directly to the consumer in small quantities.<ref>{{cite news |first= Garance |last= Burke |title= Almond pasteurization rubs some feelings raw |url= http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_6260038 |agency= Associated Press |date= 29 June 2007 |access-date= 8 November 2014 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141223060711/http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_6260038 |archive-date= 23 December 2014}}</ref>
The Almond Board of California states: "PPO residue dissipates after treatment". The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported: "Propylene oxide has been detected in fumigated food products; consumption of contaminated food is another possible route of exposure". PPO is classified as Group 2B ("possibly carcinogenic to humans").<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wlpEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 |title=Improving the Safety and Quality of Nuts |editor=Harris LJ |year=2013 |publisher=Elsevier, Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition |isbn=978-0-85709-748-4 |pages=36–37}}</ref>
The USDA-approved marketing order was challenged in court by organic farmers organized by the Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group which filed a lawsuit in September 2008. According to the institute, this almond marketing order has imposed significant financial burdens on small-scale and organic growers and damaged domestic almond markets. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in early 2009 on procedural grounds. In August 2010, a federal appeals court ruled that the farmers have a right to appeal the USDA regulation. In March 2013, the court vacated the suit on the basis that the objections should have been raised in 2007 when the regulation was first proposed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Authentic Almond Project |publisher=The Cornucopia Institute |url=http://www.cornucopia.org/almonds/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108124858/http://www.cornucopia.org/almonds/ |archive-date=8 January 2010}}</ref>
==Uses==
=== Nutrition ===
{{Nutritional value | name = Almonds | image = Mandorle sgusciate.jpg | kJ = 2423 | carbs = 21.6 g | starch = 0.7 g | sugars = 4.4 g | lactose = 0.00 g | fiber = 12.5 g | fat = 49.9 g | satfat = 3.8 g | monofat = 31.6 g | polyfat = 12.3 g | protein = 21.2 g | water = 4.4 g | vitA_iu = 1 | betacarotene_ug = 1 | lutein_ug = 1 | thiamin_mg = 0.211 | riboflavin_mg = 1.014 | niacin_mg = 3.385 | pantothenic_mg = 0.469 | vitB6_mg = 0.143 | folate_ug = 50 | choline_mg = 52.1 | vitC_mg = 0 | vitD_ug = 0 | vitE_mg = 25.6 | vitK_ug = 0.0 | calcium_mg = 264 | iron_mg = 3.72 | magnesium_mg = 268 | manganese_mg = 2.285 | phosphorus_mg = 484 | potassium_mg = 705 | sodium_mg = 1 | zinc_mg = 3.08 | copper_mg = 0.99 | selenium_ug = 2.5 <!-- amino acids -->| tryptophan = 0.214 g | threonine = 0.598 g | isoleucine = 0.702 g | leucine = 1.488 g | lysine = 0.580 g | methionine = 0.151 g | cystine = 0.189 g | phenylalanine = 1.120 g | tyrosine = 0.452 g | valine = 0.817 g | arginine = 2.446 g | histidine = 0.557 g | alanine = 1.027 g | aspartic acid = 2.911 g | glutamic acid = 6.810 g | glycine = 1.469 g | proline = 1.032 g | serine = 0.948 g | note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170567/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}
[[File:Amandines de Provence, poster by Leonetto Cappiello, 1900.jpg|thumb|upright|Amandines de Provence, poster by Leonetto Cappiello, 1900, which shows a woman eating almond biscuits (almond cookies) ]]
Almonds are 4% water, 22% carbohydrates, 21% protein, and 50% fat (table). In a {{convert|100|g|oz|adj=on|abbr=off|frac=2}} reference amount, almonds supply {{convert|579|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of food energy, and are a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin E (171% DV), riboflavin (78% DV), and several dietary minerals, particularly copper (110% DV) and manganese (99% DV) (table). Per 100 g, almonds contain dietary fiber (12 g), the monounsaturated fat, oleic acid (31 g), and the polyunsaturated fat, linoleic acid (12 g; table source).
Typical of nuts and seeds, almonds are a source of phytosterols, such as beta-sitosterol.<ref name="Berryman2011">{{cite journal |last1=Berryman |first1=Claire E. |last2=Preston |first2=Amy Griel |last3=Karmally |first3=Wahida |last4=Deckelbaum |first4=Richard J. |last5=Kris-Etherton |first5=Penny M. |title=Effects of almond consumption on the reduction of LDL-cholesterol: a discussion of potential mechanisms and future research directions |journal=Nutrition Reviews |volume=69 |issue=4 |pages=171–85 |date=April 2011 |pmid=21457263 |doi=10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00383.x |doi-access=free }}</ref>
===Health===
Almonds are included as a good source of protein among recommended healthy foods by the USDA.<ref name="cmp">{{cite web |title=Protein foods: nutrients and health benefits |url=https://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods-nutrients-health |publisher=ChooseMyPlate.gov, USDA |access-date=16 April 2019 |date=4 October 2018 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416211522/https://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods-nutrients-health }}</ref> A 2016 review of clinical research indicated that regular consumption of almonds may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering blood levels of LDL cholesterol.<ref name="Musa">{{cite journal | last1=Musa-Veloso | first1=Kathy | last2=Paulionis | first2=Lina | last3=Poon | first3=Theresa | last4=Lee | first4=Han Youl | title=The effects of almond consumption on fasting blood lipid levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials | journal=Journal of Nutritional Science | volume=5 | date=16 August 2016 | issn=2048-6790 | pmid=27752301 | pmc=5048189 | doi=10.1017/jns.2016.19 | article-number=e34}}</ref><ref name="thchan">{{cite web |title=Almonds |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/almonds/ |publisher=TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University |access-date=16 April 2019 |date=2019}}</ref>
=== Culinary ===
{{main|List of almond dishes}}
While the almond is often eaten on its own, raw or toasted, it is also a component of various dishes. Almonds are available in many forms, such as whole, slivered, and ground into flour. Almond pieces around {{Convert|2–3|mm|frac=16}} in size, called "nibs", are used for special purposes such as decoration.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sinclair |first=Charles|title=Dictionary of Food: International Food and Cooking Terms from A to Z |date=1 January 2009 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-4081-0218-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mdwm7jI9J10C&pg=PT45 |page=45}}</ref> A wide range of classic sweets feature almonds as a central ingredient. Marzipan was developed in the Middle Ages. Since the 19th century almonds have been used to make bread, almond butter, cakes and puddings, candied confections, almond cream-filled pastries, nougat, cookies (macaroons, biscotti and qurabiya), and cakes (financiers, Esterházy torte), and other sweets and desserts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dolby |first=Richard |title=The Cook's Dictionary: A New Family Manual of Cookery and Confectionery |date=1830}}</ref> In Saudi Arabia, almonds are a typical embellishment for the rice dish kabsa.<ref>{{cite book |last=El Masri |first=Arwa |title=Tea with Arwa: A Memoir of Family, Faith and Finding a Home in Australia |date=27 September 2011 |publisher=Hachette Australia |isbn=978-0-7336-2852-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Gg0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT22}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Salloum |first=Habeeb |title=The Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking |date=28 February 2012 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |isbn=978-1-4629-0524-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v5TTAgAAQBAJ&dq=Kabsa+rice+almonds&pg=PA74}}</ref> Spanish cookery uses almonds in sweet dishes as well as in savory ones, ground up to thicken sauces and stews.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roden |first=Claudia |author-link=Claudia Roden |title=The Food of Spain: A Celebration |publisher=Michael Joseph |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-718-15719-7 |location=London |page=102}}</ref>
<gallery class=center mode=nolines heights=160 widths=160> File:Colomba pasquale, edizione 2013 - ND0 4662 (8564331585).jpg|Italian Easter bread, the Colomba di Pasqua. It is the Easter counterpart of the two well-known Italian Christmas desserts, panettone and pandoro. File:Guinda-Almendras-Nata.JPG|Almond cream cake covered in slivered almonds File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Gåsebryst.jpg|Danish cream cake covered with marzipan </gallery>
==== Milk ====
{{main|Almond milk}}
Almonds can be processed into a milk substitute called almond milk; the nut's soft texture, mild flavour, and light colouring (when skinned) make for an efficient analog to dairy, and a soy-free choice for lactose intolerant people and vegans. Raw, blanched, and lightly toasted almonds work well for different production techniques, some of which are similar to that of soy milk and some of which use no heat, resulting in raw milk.{{cn|date=March 2026}}
Almond milk, along with almond butter and almond oil, are versatile products used in both sweet and savoury dishes.{{cn|date=March 2026}}
In Moroccan cuisine, sharbat billooz, a common beverage, is made by blending blanched almonds with milk, sugar and other flavourings.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Food: International Food and Cooking Terms from A to Z |isbn = 978-1-4081-0218-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mdwm7jI9J10C&q=sharbat+billooz&pg=PT1211|last1 = Sinclair|first1 = Charles|date = January 2009| publisher=A&C Black }}</ref>
==== Flour and skins ====
Almond flour or ground almond meal combined with sugar or honey as marzipan is often used as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour in cooking and baking.<ref>{{cite book |last=Amsterdam |first=Elana |title=The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook: Breakfasts, Entrees, and More |publisher=Random House of Canada |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-58761-345-6}}</ref>
Almonds contain polyphenols in their skins consisting of flavonols, flavan-3-ols, hydroxybenzoic acids and flavanones<ref name="skins">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.jfca.2009.08.015 |title=Characterization of polyphenols, lipids and dietary fibre from almond skins (Amygdalus communis L.)|year=2010 |last1=Mandalari |first1=G. |last2=Tomaino |first2=A. |last3=Arcoraci |first3=T. |last4=Martorana |first4=M. |last5=Turco |first5=V. Lo |last6=Cacciola |first6=F. |last7=Rich |first7=G.T. |last8=Bisignano |first8=C. |last9=Saija |first9=A. |last10=Dugo |first10=P. |last11=Cross |first11=K.L. |last12=Parker |first12=M.L. |last13=Waldron |first13=K.W. |last14=Wickham |first14=M.S.J. |journal=Journal of Food Composition and Analysis |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=166–174}}</ref> analogous to those of certain fruits and vegetables. These phenolic compounds and almond skin prebiotic dietary fibre have commercial interest as food additives or dietary supplements.<ref name=skins/><ref>{{cite journal |title=Prebiotic effects of almonds and almond skins on intestinal microbiota in healthy adult humans |last1=Liu |first1=Zhibin |last2=Lin |first2=Xiuchun |last3=Huang |first3=Guangwei |last4=Zhang |first4=Wen |last5=Rao |first5=Pingfan |last6=Ni |first6=Li |journal=Anaerobe |year=2014 |issue=4 |volume=26 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1016/j.anaerobe.2013.11.007 |pmid=24315808}}</ref>
==== Syrup ====
Historically, almond syrup was an emulsion of sweet and bitter almonds, usually made with barley syrup (orgeat syrup) or in a syrup of orange flower water and sugar, often flavoured with a synthetic aroma of almonds.<ref name="isrn"/> Orgeat syrup is an important ingredient in the Mai Tai and many other Tiki drinks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Upgrade your orgeat |url=https://nationalpost.com/life/food/cocktails-upgrade-your-orgeat-and-youll-find-not-all-tiki-drinks-%EF%AC%81t-under-the-same-umbrella |website=nationalpost.com |access-date=25 August 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tiki cocktail history basics |url=https://drinks.seriouseats.com/2014/03/tiki-cocktail-history-basics-of-tiki-drinks-essential-ingredients.html |website=drinks.seriouseats.com |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref>
Due to the cyanide found in bitter almonds, modern syrups generally are produced only from sweet almonds. Such syrup products do not contain significant levels of hydrocyanic acid, so are generally considered safe for human consumption.<ref name="isrn"/>
=== Oils ===
thumb|left|upright=0.5|Almond oil
{{Nutritional value| | name = Oil, almond | serving_size = 100 g | kJ = 3699 | fat = 100 g | satfat = 8.2 g | monofat = 69.9 g | polyfat = 17.4 g | omega6fat = 17.4 g | omega3fat = 0 | vitE_mg = 39.2 | vitK_ug = 7.0 | iron_mg = 0 | note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171031/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }}
Almonds are a rich source of oil, with 50% of kernel dry mass as fat (whole almond nutrition table). In relation to total dry mass of the kernel, almond oil contains 32% monounsaturated oleic acid (an omega-9 fatty acid), 13% linoleic acid (a polyunsaturated omega-6 essential fatty acid), and 10% saturated fatty acid (mainly as palmitic acid).<!-- See USDA link in nutrition box. --> Linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-3 fat, is not present (table).
When almond oil is analyzed separately and expressed per 100 grams as a reference mass, the oil provides {{convert|884|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on}} of food energy, 8 grams of saturated fat (81% of which is palmitic acid), 70 grams of oleic acid, and 17 grams of linoleic acid (oil table).
''Oleum amygdalae'', the fixed oil, is prepared from either sweet or bitter almonds, and is a glyceryl oleate with a slight odour and a nutty taste. It is almost insoluble in alcohol but readily soluble in chloroform or ether. Almond oil is obtained from the dried kernel of almonds.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Oil content and fatty acid composition of developing almond seeds |last1=Soler |first1=Lourdes |last2=Canellas |first2=Jaime |last3=Saura-Calixto |first3=Fulgencio |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |year=1988 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=695–697 |doi=10.1021/jf00082a007 |bibcode=1988JAFC...36..695S |hdl=10261/90477 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Sweet almond oil is used as a carrier oil in aromatherapy and cosmetics while bitter almond oil, containing benzaldehyde, is used as a food flavouring and in perfume.<ref name="van Wyk 2019"/> {{clear left}}
== In culture ==
thumb|upright|1897 illustration<ref>Illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, 1897</ref>
The almond is highly revered in some cultures. In the Bible, the almond is mentioned ten times, beginning with Genesis 43:11,<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last=Shafer-Elliott |first=Cynthia |title=Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, and Legumes |date=2022 |work=T&T Clark Handbook of Food in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel |pages=146–147 |editor-last=Fu |editor-first=Janling |url=https://www.bloomsburyfoodlibrary.com/encyclopedia-chapter?docid=b-9780567679826&tocid=b-9780567679826-chapter8 |access-date=2025-07-27 |series=T&T Clark Handbooks |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=T&T Clark |isbn=978-0-567-67982-6 |editor2-last=Shafer-Elliott |editor2-first=Cynthia |editor3-last=Meyers |editor3-first=Carol}}</ref> where it is described as "among the best of fruits". In Numbers 17, Levi is chosen from the other tribes of Israel by Aaron's rod, which brought forth almond flowers.<ref name=":2"/> The almond blossom supplied a model for the menorah which stood in the Holy Temple,<ref name=":2"/> "Three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, were on one branch, with a knob and a flower; and three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, were on the other … on the candlestick itself were four cups, shaped like almond blossoms, with its knobs and flowers" (Exodus 25:33–34; 37:19–20). In Jeremiah 1:11–12, the vision of an almond branch conveys a wordplay in Hebrew between ''shaqed'' (almond) and ''shoqed'' (watching), symbolizing God's vigilant commitment to fulfill His word.<ref name=":2"/> Many Sephardic Jews give five almonds to each guest before special occasions like weddings.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 July 2017 |title=Jewish Sephardi Wedding Recipes and Traditions|url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2017/07/13/jewish-sephardi-wedding-recipes-and-traditions/ |access-date=2021-03-06 |website=My Jewish Learning}}</ref>
Similarly, Christian symbolism often uses almond branches as a symbol of the virgin birth of Jesus; paintings and icons often include almond-shaped haloes encircling the Christ Child and as a symbol of Mary. The word "luz", which appears in Genesis 30:37, sometimes translated as "hazel", may actually be derived from the Aramaic name for almond (Luz), and is translated as such in the New International Version and other versions of the Bible.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g8YSB2K9d1oC&pg=PA37 |title=The meaning of trees: botany, history, healing, lore|author=Fred Hageneder |page=37 |isbn=978-0-8118-4898-5 |publisher=Chronicle Books |date=September 2005 }}</ref>
The Entrance of the flower (''La entrada de la flor'') is an event celebrated on 1 February in Torrent, Spain, in which the clavarios and members of the Confrerie of the Mother of God deliver a branch of the first-blooming almond-tree to the Virgin.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sena |first1=Laura |title=Fuego y flor de almendro en l'Entrà de Torrent |url=http://www.levante-emv.com/horta/2016/02/02/fuego-flor-almendro-lentra-torrent/1373887.html |date=2 February 2016 |website=levante-emv.com |publisher=Levante |access-date=11 May 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525161925/http://www.levante-emv.com/horta/2016/02/02/fuego-flor-almendro-lentra-torrent/1373887.html |archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>
== See also ==
* Fruit tree forms * Fruit tree propagation * Fruit tree pruning * List of almond dishes * List of edible seeds * Candied almonds * Dragée – a candy.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons}} {{Cookbook|Almond}} * {{Wikispecies inline|Prunus amygdalus|''Prunus amygdalus''}} * {{PFAF|Prunus dulcis}} * [http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/datastore/?ds=391&reportnumber=612&catcol=2806&categorysearch=Almond University of California Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206105214/http://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/datastore/?ds=391&reportnumber=612&catcol=2806&categorysearch=Almond |date=6 December 2012 }}
{{Nuts}} {{fatsandoils}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q39918|from2=Q15545507}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Almonds Almond Category:Crops originating from Asia Category:Edible nuts and seeds Category:Flora of temperate Asia Category:Pollination management Category:Snack foods Almond oil Category:Crops Category:Fruit trees Category:Symbols of California Category:Taxa named by August Batsch Category:Drought-tolerant trees