Allure of Almond basic facts of almonds

I remember my childhood, specially the exam time , when my mother give me almond with milk in the morning and says that it helps you to keep alert and specially almond sharpen your mind and memory. And it really happens. Almonds or Badam as we call them in India.

Though the years we have discovered that almond have many other honorable qualities. Besides being used as a garnish in for everything from muffins to halwa, milk and lassi, almonds are basic ingredients of any sweets in india like khoya burfi and Boondi ka ladoo.
But before we begin to wax lyrical about the almond, lets backtrack for a little bit of history about the wonder nut.

Almond have also been one of the earliest cultivated foods, originating in Western Asia. From here they were taken to Greece, Turkey and middle east. Jews regards almonds as the symbolic part of the dinner that breaks the Yom Kippur. In India, Its customery at weddings to give five suger-coated almonds to signify the five qualities of happy marriage - health, wealth, happiness, fertility and longevity.

Almonds have been always favourite in Indian kitchen much before the health benefits of almonds was discovered. In India , a basket of nuts - almond , cashew, pistachio and apricot are must in a Diwali festival gifts. From Shreekhand to Sheera and Thandai to Malai-kulfi, almonds add a rich taste to the food.