The almond tree originally came to us from East Asia. Linnaeus was the first to assign it to fruit trees. Nevertheless, questions about almonds continue to arise. We explain where exactly it belongs.
Do almonds belong to the nut family?
Botanically speaking, almonds are not nuts, but stone fruits. They belong to the rose family and are closely related to apricots and peaches. Nevertheless, almonds and nuts have similar properties such as a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and can trigger similar reactions in allergy sufferers.
A fruit tree with almonds
Botanists classify almonds as stone fruits. They define almonds as the seeds of a fruit. For this reason, the breeding process is similar to that of apple or peach trees.
In addition, the magnificent spring blossom impresses with its similarity to the fruit trees.
Plant family: Rosaceae
Almonds also belong to the rose family. For this reason she is often called “The Queen of the Rose Family”. Peaches or apricots are also included.
Why the constant comparison with nuts?
On the one hand, a delicious almond is characterized by its hard character. This one looks very similar to a nut. Furthermore, almonds, like nuts, are characterized by their remarkable proportion of unsaturated fatty acids.
Both species support the human organism in holistic development.
Regular consumption of almonds and nuts is also recommended. The positive composition of various nutrients turns both varieties into true prevention artists.
They serve to prevent:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- high cholesterol
- various types of cancer
Attention: nut allergy
However, it is important for allergy sufferers to know that almonds can trigger similar reactions to nuts. This fact is remarkable because almonds belong to a different plant family than their nutty friends.
For this reason, traces of almonds and nuts are usually mentioned on packaging.
Rule of thumb:
Accordingly, people who are allergic to nuts should also avoid eating almonds.
Children and nuts
Nuts of all kinds are particularly important during the Christmas season. At the same time, however, care should be taken, especially with small children, to avoid consuming them as much as possible. Often the hard core cannot be bitten. The result is life-threatening shortness of breath.
Tips & Tricks
As long as there are no known allergies, almonds and “real” types of nuts should have a permanent place in the daily menu. To date, science has not yet been able to fully explore its magical effect on human he alth. However, the clearly positive effect of all types of nuts has been proven.
