If you remember our calendar of gastronomic events, every February 16 is celebrated as Almond Day. A nut loaded with benefits, and with a multitude of properties for our health, which, in addition, has been part of our diet for centuries and centuries. Therefore, every February 16 we pay tribute to this small but powerful nut. If you also want to celebrate it, join us to learn more about it.
Almonds are considered one of the best nuts we can include in our diet thanks to all their nutritional contributions. And it is considered as “the vegetable meat”, due to its high energetic value. They provide 37% of the daily vitamins recommended for a person.
This is also why they are the perfect nut for all those who do sports or physical activity on a regular basis.
But in addition, thanks to their delicate and sweet flavor, they are a delicacy for snacking between meals. And it is not surprising that they are the protagonists in many pastry recipes, for example, marzipan.
For all these reasons, this magnificent nut has its own day in the calendar and we also want to celebrate it.
But before we start, what are almonds?
Although almonds are a very popular nut, let’s take a look at what they look like and where they come from.
The almond comes from the almond tree, Prunus Dulcis. What we consume from this tree is the seed, which is enveloped by the cinnamon-colored almond skin, which is also edible. In addition, we find the outer shell, which is very hard. This represents 40% of the weight of the almond. The shell, in turn, is also covered by a thick, green skin, which dries as the almond matures.
In addition, the almond tree is the first fruit tree to flower in spring. It tints the fields with beautiful white and pink tones. Its name means “awakening”.
This ancient tree comes from Central Asia, mostly from hot desert areas, it is believed that more than 5,000 years ago. From Asia it reached Greece and Rome, and it was from Rome that this nut spread throughout the continent.
Did you know that almonds are considered the first nut cultivated by man?
Etymologically, the name almond comes from Latin.
Almond Day
Every February 16th is celebrated, worldwide, the Almonds Day. A date to raise awareness around the world about the benefits of almond consumption. And thus, give greater fame to this food, and make more and more people include it in their diets. As we will see below, almonds have a multitude of benefits and properties for our pride.
Undoubtedly, today is the perfect day to pay tribute to this food. And, if you have not yet included it in your diet, it is a good time to do so. For, although we do not know who established this day on the calendar, he certainly had great reasons for wanting to make almonds known.
It is very likely that the origin of this holiday is in the United States. This is where no less than 80% of the world’s almond production takes place. More specifically, in California.
However, it is not known how the celebration of almond day began, but it is most likely that it was celebrated in the United States and has spread to several countries.
According to research, 80% of the world’s almond production is grown in California, USA. So it is more than likely that Almond Day originated there before spreading to the rest of the world.
How to celebrate Almond Day
Undoubtedly, the best way to celebrate almond day is with a good handful of this nut for a snack.
We can take them raw, in fact, it is the healthiest way to consume them. And, the best, it would be without removing the skin that they bring under the shell.
Although we can also take them toasted. But, if we want to benefit to the maximum of this dry fruit, we will avoid adding sugar or salt, or frying them. Then they will stop being so healthy.
But we can not only take them this way, since they are also very used in confectionery. In fact, they are the main ingredient to make marzipan. We can also include them in salads, smoothies, desserts of all kinds?
They are even used for savory recipes, in addition, we can find them in flour, milk, oil…
Benefits of including almonds in our diet
Almonds are one of the most popular nuts due to their vitamin content and the benefits that their consumption brings us. That is why it is considered a superfood. And no wonder. A daily consumption of almonds, always in moderation (between 15 and 30 grams a day is recommended) provides us with almost 40% of the vitamins our body needs.
They are also a great ally of the brain, increase our ability to concentrate, prevent insomnia and stress.
Thanks to the amino acids and oils they contain, almonds increase our brain activity: they increase our ability to concentrate, reduce stress and the risk of insomnia.
Due to their calcium content, together with magnesium and phosphorus, they help us to maintain good bone health. At the same time they favor our teeth, skin, hair… In fact, since ancient times almonds were already used in aesthetic remedies.
They have an important contribution of Vitamin B, which keeps our metabolism healthy and improves our immune system.
And, although it is not the last, because the contributions of almonds are many, thanks to vitamin E, it is an antioxidant food with anti-inflammatory properties.
And, before we finish, take a look at this great recipe: How to make Almond Milk at Home.
Because, even if you do not follow a diet without animal products, or suffer from lactose intolerance, almond milk is a delight that you can prepare with very little effort.
If you are used to drinking cow’s milk, you don’t have to substitute it either, you can drink both, depending on the occasion or what you feel like. So I encourage you to try this delicious almond milk, which has nothing to do with the one we can buy in the supermarket.
Homemade vegetable almond milk
Ingredients
- 100 g Almonds
- 1 l Water
- 1 pinch salt optional
- Sweetener of your choice, optional
Instructions
- We start the day before leaving the almonds to soak. At least, we will leave them one night. And, at the most, 48 hours.We continue draining the almonds. We are also going to rinse them a couple of times under the tap.
- If you want a whiter milk, you can peel the almonds. Later on we will see some tricks to make it more convenient. But this is completely optional, so you can skip this step.
- Put them in the blender, together with the water and a pinch of salt, and blend well. To obtain a milk with a smooth texture, we are going to strain it very well. For it we can use a cloth filter or a bag for vegetable milks.
- Finally, if you want, you can slightly sweeten the almond milk with the sweetener of your choice. Although this is also optional, since almonds already have a very sweet flavor.Now you have your healthy almond milk ready.
As you can see, there are many contributions and benefits of this food. So, if it is not yet part of your diet, do not hesitate.
If you also want to celebrate World Almond Day, remember to leave us your comments, ideas, tips… We love to read them!
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