Amandelbloesem – Algarve´s sneeuw and zoete heerlijkheden.

On 20/02/2021
By johanna
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Amandelbloesem

Ik hou van dit jaargetijde waarin de vele amandelbomen in de Algarve in bloeistaan. Ze geven mij altijd een blij gevoel. Hun delicate witte en rose kleuren zijn de eerste tekenen dat het het voorjaar in aankomst is. De amandelbomen komen van oorsprong uit het midden oosten. Dus hoe zijn ze dan hier in Portugal terecht gekomen ? Daar is een mooie legende over die ik graag met je wil delen. Uiteindelijk kan een beetje romantiek geen kwaad …😉

The Legend

Legend says that the almond trees first appeared in the Algarve, particularly in Silves, around the time of the Arab occupation, hundreds of years ago.
After one of his many battles, the Arab king Ibn-Almundim fell in love with one of his prisoners, a tall, blond, and blue-eyed princess called Gilda. As time went by, and after he gave her her freedom, he ended up winning her heart and marrying her. But one day, the princess, feeling homesick, fell into a deep depression. The king, desperate, ended up finding a creative solution: he ordered almond trees to be planted all over the region. In the following spring, the king took the princess to one of their terraces so that they could both look over the almond trees that, at the time, were already covered with small white flowers. Seeing this scenery that resembled her homelands’ snow-covered fields, the princess cured her depression and started to improve day after day. ❤

Superfood

Besides the delicious (not quite healthy ☺) sweets that are available everywhere in the Algarve, the almond is nowadays also considered a “superfood”. It is one of the most popular snacks in the world because of its great health benefits. Rich in protein, vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fat (kind to the heart), it is considered, like avocado and olive oil, to be extremely effective in preventing diabetes and heart problems and in lowering high cholesterol.

Almond Picking

When the petals fall, the almonds grow. Initially coated in a velvety green skin, which eventually hardens and peels off revealing a harder brown shell, they are ready to harvest by late summer. The traditional way of picking almonds in Portugal is by laying down a big net or sheet on the ground underneath the almond tree and hit the branches with a long pole causing the almonds to fall onto the net. After collecting them, they then need to be dried out in the sun for a few days before they are ready to be cracked open to separate the edible fruit from the outer shell. Cracking this very hard nut is not easy and has regularly left me with bruised fingers ! Believe me, after this experience you are more than willing to pay a little more for peeled almonds.

Sweet Almond Delights

As mentioned before, there is a wide range of sweet delights prepared with almonds available (and I almost do not dare to say it …) also a delicious liqueur called “Amarguinha”. But you’ve just read that the almond is a superfood so how bad can it be ? Especially if you add a few slices of fresh lemon.

A few well-known sweets are :

Doces Finos

Doces finos

Real pieces of art made with the wonderful marzipan that only almonds from Algarve can produce.

Candied Easter Almonds – Amêndoas de Páscoa

Candied almonds, which are popular in Portugal during Easter, were used to celebrate weddings in Roman times. Perhaps this Roman custom was inspired by a Greek legend about almonds as a symbol of love. Why does it always seem that they were much more romantic in those days? ☺

: Almonds

: Amêndoas de Páscoa

Toucinho do céu and Morgado de Amêndoa (Portimão)

Toucinho de Céu – (translates Bacon from Heaven)

The use of pork fat is traditional in Portuguese confectioneries. Toucinho do céu, literally translated as “bacon from heaven,” is an almond cake made with pork lard. Created in the 18th century by nuns at the Santa Clara Convent in northern Portugal, this dense cake is one of the most popular desserts in Portugal.

: Toucinho do Céu

: Morgado de Amêndoa (Portimão)

And last but not least the “Tarta de Amêndoa” probably the most famous almond tart in Portugal. And for everyone who would like to taste a bit of Portugal….here is the recipe!

Tarta de Amêndoa

Tarta de Amêndoa

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

175 g flour with yeast
175 g of sugar
150 g butter
2 large eggs
50 ml hot milk
Greasing margarine
For the filling:
200 g peeled almond kernels, laminated
200 g of sugar
100 g butter
100 ml milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

Switch on the oven at 180 degrees. Grease a baking tin with margarine and reserve.

Prepare the dough: in a bowl, beat the butter with the sugar. Then add the eggs and flour, little by little, and keep beating whilst you add the flour. Finally, add the milk (continue beating). Put the dough in the baking tin and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, remove and set aside.

Prepare the filling: place the sugar, butter, milk, and lemon juice in a pan and stir until everything is well dissolved. Add the almonds, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour this almond mixture over the already cooked base, and bake again until golden brown. Remove from the oven, let it cool and serve.

Almond Blossom Art

To conclude, I would like to share with you some of Joelma Artes works of art. This time, of course, with the subject of Almond Blossom, but Joelma Arts has a large collection of unique works of art, including Mandalas, paintings with various subjects, and beautiful natural creations in wood! If you are interested you can go to Joelma´s site on Facebook or Instagram.