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An ancient legend tells that the almond tree was born from one of that non happy ending loves. The Greek narrated that Fillide, a princess Tracia, Acamante met, child of Teseo, disembarked in his/her kingdom during a standstill for the navigation toward Troia. The two young people were fallen in love perdutamente but Acamante it was forced to continue with the Acheis to fight in the war of Sow. The young princess, after having attended ten years that it ended the war, not seeing to return him/it with the victorious ships him allowed to die for the desperation.
The goddess Atena, moved by this yearning love story, definite to turn Fillide into a splendid tree of almond tree. Acamante in reality was not dead and when he/she knew that Fillide had been turned into tree he/she embraced the plant that the caresses to reciprocate did prorompere from his/her branches flowers rather than leaves. The embrace repeats him every year when the flowers of the almond tree announce the spring.
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The almond tree, in the two sweet varieties or to love, belongs to the family of the Rosacees and since the antiquity it spread in the whole Mediterranean basin, in Asia and in Africa, for his/her beauty and for his/her precious seed: the almond.
In Sicily it disembarked together with the Phoenician ones and his/her use it subsequently spread in the Greek colonies. In the kitchen was used for the preparation of delicious sweets but it also drew him from it the oil that, beginning from the Middle Ages, it sometimes replaced the most expensive oil of olive.
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To the beginning of last century the province in Agrigento was the first world producer and the almond it represented the principal source of income. You/they were cultivated around 752 kinds.
The maximum diffusion was had in the years '60 with around 200 thousand hectares of ground installed to mandorleti. Of this fruit void you/he/she was lost: the firewood of the pruning served to feed the ovens for the cooking of the bread, with the external hull he worked a type of called soft soap "scibina", the hull was used for feeding the braziers in the house.
Agrigento doesn't hold this record anymore that nevertheless he is trying to recover. In spring it develops him in this city the feast of the "almond tree in flower" that it covers the Valley of the temples of a delicate white and pink mantle similar to that of a bride that announces the spring.
If the party of the almond tree to Agrigento is the most known it doesn't need to forget, in Sicily, the beauty of the cultivations of the countries of Known, in the siracusano. From this zone the most perfumed fruits originate, those richer than proteins and of essences and among all the varieties a particular mention deserves the Pizzuta of Bleak, the most elegant among all the almonds, inimitable for form and taste. Flat, ovoidal and to regulate is perfect for the confectionery most elegant but also for the preparation of the Sicilian sweets.
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The harvest of the almonds yesterday.....
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In the past a considerable economic resource for the Sicilian agriculturists was the cultivation of the almond tree. The tender fruits, the so-called minnulicchis from the vinegary taste slightly, late spring they were tasted to; when climatic conditions were favorable some branches, loads of fruits, woven with shoots of favaiani they served, on the occasion of the party of S. Joseph, to decorate the vara.
The almonds were picked up after ferragosto when it started to open the external peel; you/they were brought in country because the job of the peeling was done by the agriculturist's wife helped from neighbors and relatives and the roads of the countries they were filled with deafening but deeply interesting voices. Eliminated to spogghia of holes, the almonds were put to dry to the sun. From the moment that comfortable today's schiacciatricis didn't exist, the women gathered him in a second time to crush the almonds and annittalli. The ntritra was sold; only a part was preserved for making u turruni and, in the Christmas period, the picciddata. The scorcia was used ppi ardiri u furnu; the drawn charcoal was one of the best to feed braziers and hand warmers.
Who had an abundant production he/she sold the almonds to the sinzalis which, to crush her and to select her, hired some women that were compensated with the scorcia. U minnulitu was a very valuable ownership and, in the families owners, the grandparents used to leave him/it in inheritance to the first nephew.
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All the recipes of the sweets that today prepare him recall him the Arabic world and the Asian origins of the almond. The bitter almonds contain prussic (sour cianitrico produced by the amigdalina) acid and you/they must not be consumed therefore in great quantity. In confectionery they are used for preparing the macaroons. The use of the almond for the preparation of sweets is very vast, every province or, straight, every city uses this delicious fruit for the realization of typical dishes.
The Marzipan or Real Pasta it is, really, the prince among sweets of almond. You prepares with flour of almonds or, in alternative, with almonds not to toast and you beat, and sugar to veil in equal parts. To I mix him the form of fruit or vegetable you/he/she is generally given using some pars foods (mandarins, fig trees, cherries, tomatoes, apples, grape, peaches, bananas...).
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A very diffused use of the almond is in the preparations of nougats and nougats in which the taste of the fruit is exalted by the honey of the Ibleis (orange, carrubbo, tiglio, Mediterranean millefiori).
In the confectioneries of Bleak a dessert can be found typical of name "Facciuna"; you/he/she was produced in the convents of the district by the nuns that they used almonds, sugar, egg white, honey, cinnamon and some cocoa. It is worth to taste even accompanied to the original ones him/it "carrubbini" realized with an I mix of almonds, oranges and flour of carrubbe.
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One among the more drinks dissetantis prepared with the almonds, besides the orzata, it is the milk of almond, a drink dissetante used especially in the warm summer of the Countries Mediterraneans and, contemporarily very energetic (the almond contains a meaningful percentage of proteins, precious vitamins of the group B1 and B2, iron and kick). You prepares with the sweet almonds and the sugar. The almonds skin him, after having dipped her in hot aqua, they are crushed and they allow to rest twelve hours in a terrina covered by cold water. After having filtered the mixture with a cloth to wide plot the liquid it brings him to ebullition with the sugar for about ten minutes. The syrup must be served lengthened with fresh aqcua.
With the milk of almond he prepares also granulates her/it of almond, typical Sicilian prelibatezza of which you/he/she can also be tasted the variation to the toasted almonds.
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The Biancomangiare is a sweet and delicate preparation curiously typical of two very distant Italian regions among them: Sicily and the Valley of Aosta. It owes his/her name to the fact that in the composition ingredients of white color prevail: milk or dust of almonds. In the Valley of Aosta the Biancomangiare takes the name of Blanc Manger and prepares him in two versions, the first one is done with milk of almond, the second, more elaborate, it uses the milk of cow.
In Sicily the Biancomangiare is a prepared dish with minced almonds, sugar, starch, peel of lemon, cinnamon and mass to cool in terracotta forms. You/he/she is generally served on a leaf of limome, a pleasure for the eyes and the palate.
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The almonds are a good source of fats "good", since well him 83% of the calories of this food originate from this nourishing and of these, the greatest part I am monoinsaturi, which makes her beneficent for the apparatus cardiocircolatorio, even if don't bring a meaningful quantity of essential fats, contrarily of other types of fruit shoal as the walnuts.
To confirmation of this a recent study has shown as an usual consumption of this food you lower the levels ematici of cholesterol and trigliceridi. This is worth for the one who is not overweight, being this completes a more unfavorable condition towards the factors of risk of the cardiovascular illnesses. The almonds are also a good source of magnesium and vitamin it is, and I am the type of fruit shoal with the most elevated contained of fibers (12%). As all the foods primarily lipidici, their consumption must be checked with attention always appraising the quantities that we can allow there.
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It drives to the purchase of the almonds
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The almonds should possibly be purchased in sealed wrappings. If loose, assure you that the shop has an express exchange, that is preserved in closed containers and sniff to feel her to you if they have a rancid odor.The fat acids mono and polinsaturi, in fact, irrancidiscono easily if exposed to light, air and heat. The problem is very limited if the almonds are protected from their hull.
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Preparation of the almonds
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To exalt its taste you/they can be toasted in a frying pan fire middle antiaderente for 5 minutes, until they are not gilded and crisp, or in oven to 180 degrees for a few minutes. To mince her, uses a blender turning on him/it and extinguishing him/it to intermittence, without exaggerating otherwise otterete an oily mash. If you use her to make a cake, you can mince her together with a teaspoon of the flour that you will use subsequently, to avoid the separation of the oil.
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From 1° to February 11 it will develop him the 62 ^ edition of the Feast of the Almond tree in flower in the extraordinary scenery of the Valley of the Temples to Agrigento. The group refreshing of the macaw they will participate in the event with dishes inspired to the almond through unique and interesting combinings. For the information of the program and the International Festival of the Folklore: Consortium Tourist Valley of the Temples - tel. 0922 596500 e-mail consorziodeitempli@virgilio.it
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