The history of the almond is truly ancient. Already in the Bible, in fact, we speak of almonds in reference to Aaron's staff which suddenly began to flower and produce these tasty fruits, a symbol of divine approval. It was introduced into Sicily by the Phoenicians.
Sicily boasts a record, with its 752 different species of almonds. The Avola pizzuta almond deserves special attention. A magnificent treasure that comes from this location which is located on the coast that connects the province of Syracuse to that of Ragusa. Praised by Sciascia for its "perfect oval", it contributes, together with the delicious Nero d'Avola wine, to making the place whose name it bears famous and appreciated throughout the world.
For several decades the Pizzuta almond has been considered the best in all of Italy. It has some peculiar characteristics: the hard and smooth shell with very small pores and a very flat, leather-red seed.
Due to its characteristics, Pizzuta is considered the sweet almond par excellence. This product of nature is a true wonder; it is no coincidence that it is found among the ingredients of many typical Sicilian desserts, including sugared almonds, nougats, cubata, marzipan, martorana fruit, granitas and almond milk. Almond cultivation has always been very productive for Sicilian farmers.
It is said that nothing of the almond is thrown away. The wood was used to fuel the ovens for baking bread, the external husk was used to produce a soft soap ( scibina) and the shell was used to heat houses with braziers.
As for the harvest, it occurred around mid-August, when the outer shell began to open. However, at the mid-August harvest, there is a small exception. In spring, in fact, the tender fruits with a sour taste are eaten without removing the husk. Sometimes the branches of the almond tree loaded with fruit were used to decorate the launch of the feast of Saint Joseph.Almonds are also exceptional from a health point of view, they are able to reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood, consequently reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Bad cholesterol is also reduced by the presence of fibre.
The consumption of almonds is useful for heart health thanks to the presence of gamma-tocopherol. This substance is a form of Vitamin E which has a slight vasodilatory action, protects the walls of the capillaries and also has an antithrombotic action.
The almond is an excellent product from all of Sicily. Every province or even every city has been using almonds in different ways for centuries to make typical culinary products.
