Almond tree

Whoever sees an almond tree, he is necessarily filled with the warmest feelings. According to ancient mythology, the son of Theseus Akamant and Princess Philida loved each other. The Achaeans, against his will, called Theseus to war with Troy. For ten years, the loving princess was waiting for her lover. When she lost hope of his return and could not survive the separation, the forces left her. Such devotion shocked the goddess Athena. To save her memory, the goddess turned the Philad into an almond tree. When the Akamant, who had returned from the war, approached him, it blossomed.

The almond tree belongs to the family of Rosaceae. Today there are about forty of its species. Its branches are reddish, the height is from three to eight meters. Plants almond tree for thirty-fifty years or more, because it often reaches the age of a hundred. The first fruits are formed four years after planting.

Essential oil of almonds is very much appreciated. It is formed due to the content in the fruit of a substance such as amygdalin. The name of the plant was received in the first century BC precisely because of the typical taste. Among industrial plantings, including in private horticultural collections, the most common are three varieties:

• bitter;
• sweet;
• fragile.

Bitter almonds contain a large amount of amygdaline. It easily disintegrates in the gastrointestinal tract to the cyanide toxic compound and benzene aldehyde, which can lead to severe poisoning. Therefore, without preliminary heat treatment (roasting, roasting) in food it can not be used. Two other subspecies have fruits of sweet taste with a less pronounced aroma characteristic of almonds. They can be eaten without restriction and without prior preparation, but they are not suitable for obtaining a valuable oil.

But the seeds of bitter almonds contain it up to 62%. It has found wide application in medicine because it is a strong solvent, many medications are prepared on its basis. By appearance oil is colorless, but it has a wonderful marzipan flavor. Has properties of anesthetic character, quickly removes spasms, removes worms, but is a drug and contains a large proportion of the strongest cyanide poison.

The Caucasus and the regions of Northern Africa are considered places where the almond tree spread throughout Eurasia. The photo, which is attached to this material, allows you to evaluate the entire charm of this plant. Today, the Mediterranean and China are the richest areas of almond cultivation. A lot of it is grown in the US.

Thanks to almonds, the small town of Agrigento in Sicily is known throughout the world. Here it blooms abundantly in February. The marzipan aroma, which exudes pink flowers, fills the whole Valley of the Temples. At this time, all the admirers of the beautiful tree gather at the festival. This tradition lasts more than fifty years. The combination of ancient temples, the sea and delicate almond blossoms is extraordinarily romantic. This attracts thousands of tourists.