Are you nuts about nuts? What kind of nuts do you like to eat? Spain, where I live, is the second largest producer of a very special kind of nut: almonds.

The almond tree (Prunus dulcis) is special because it can grow with very little water, but also does not mind having lots of water at some times. This kind of drought and flood tolerance is specific to plant species from the Mediterranean region, where we have long, hot, dry summers and lots of rain in the autumn and spring.

Almond trees are the first fruit trees to start blossoming at the end of winter, and all over the mounatins you can see waves of beautiful pink and white around the beginning of February. then, at the end of summer, the almonds are ready to eat! 

Almonds are the most protein-rich of all the nuts and as such are very healthy. You can eat them raw or toasted as a snack, or make them into all kinds of things. In Spain one of the most popular (and delicious) almond products is turrón.

Turrón is a kind of sweet made from almond paste, usually mixed with egg white, honey and sugar. As you can see from the ingredients, the taste is very sweet!

It is not clear when turrón was first invented, but it has been around since at least the 16th century, and some people think it was actually invented in ancient Greek times.

Nowadays, it is associated with the region of Valencia (Comunidad Valenciana) in the East of Spain. Indeed, the two main types of turrón are both named after towns in the Valencian region. Turrón blando (which is soft, chewy and a little crumbly) is called ‘Jijona’ (‘Xixona’ in the Valencian language), named after the town where supposedly this kind was invented. I have been to the town of Xixona and it is a veritable turrón feast.

The other main type is turrón duro which is hard and crunchy. This type is called ‘Alicante’ (‘Alacant’ in the Valencian language), which is one of the largest towns in the Valencian province.

The traditional time to eat turrón in Spain is around Christmas (navidad). Christmas is a time when we celebrate bringing light, warmth and laughter into the darkest and coldest time of the year, so eating sweet treats is very popular. However, if you are in Spain at any other time of year, don’t worry! You can still find turrón in most supermarkets. Remember, even though it is very sweet, it is made from the wonderful almond nut so it is probably healthy for you...

If you are interested in learning more about living in Spain, please feel free to book a class with me.  

Main photo by Tamorlan on Wikipedia.