the story of almonds

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known facts about almond:

• native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East, eastward as far as the Indus
• The word "almond" comes from Old French almande or alemande, Late Latin amandola, derived through a form amingdolouhha from the Greek αμυγδαλη (cf amygdala), an almond. Theal- in English, for the a- used in other languages may be due a confusion with the Arabic article al, the word having first dropped the a- as in the Italian form mandorla; the British pronunciation ah-mond and the modern Catalan ametlla and modern French amande show a form of the word closer to the original.
• Global production of almonds is around 1.7 million tonnes, with a low of 1 million tonnes in 1995 and a peak of 1.85 million tonnes in 2002 according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) figures; world production of almonds was 1.76 million tonnes in 2006.
• According to the FAO, major producers are the USA (715,623 t, 41%), Spain (220,000 t, 13%), Syria (119,648 t, 7%), Italy (112,796 t, 6%), Iran (108,677 t, 6%) and Morocco (83,000 t, 5%). Algeria, Tunisia, and Greece each account for 3%, Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, and China each account for 2%.
•  In northern Indian state, Jammu and Kashmir, it is designated as the state tree of Kashmir.
• The tree grows in Lebanon, Syria and Israel, and is mentioned numerous times in the Bible.
• In India, consumption of almonds is believed to be good for the brain, while the Chinese consider it a symbol of enduring sadness and female beauty
• The sweet almond contains about 26% carbohydrates (12% dietary fiber, 6.3% sugars, 0.7% starch and the rest miscellaneous carbohydrates)
• Almonds are a rich source of vitamin E, containing 24 mg per 100 g.They are also rich in monounsaturated fat, one of the two "good" fats responsible for lowering LDL cholesterol.
• Claimed health benefits of almonds include improved complexion, improved movement of food through the colon (feces) and the prevention of cancer. Recent research associates the inclusion of almonds in the diet with elevating the blood levels of high density lipoproteins and of lowering the levels of low density lipoproteins.
• A controlled trial showed that 73g of almonds in the daily diet reduced LDL cholesterol by as much as 9.4%, reduced the LDL:HDL ratio by 12.0%, and increased HDL-cholesterol (i.e., the good cholesterol) by 4.6%
• n a study printed in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, experts discovered that almonds contain phenolics and flavonoids (a combination of flavonols, flavan-3-ols,hydroxybenzoic acids and flavanones) in their skins analogous to those of certain fruits and vegetables. For instance, a one-ounce helping of almonds holds a similar quantity of total polyphenol as ½ cup of cooked broccoli