Mallorcan Almonds

Mallorcan almonds are considered to be some of the finest in the world. The almond is native to the Mediterranean region. The Mallorcan countryside is full of almond trees which yield an abundance of this delicious nut. It is hard to go anywhere in Mallorca without encountering a grove of almond trees, and during a typical afternoon stroll, it is not unusual to have to step on fallen almonds that cover your path. In the spring, the trees bear beautiful almond blossom flowers, which are a soft pinkish-white color that makes for a lovely contrast against the backdrop of the green countryside.

It is great fun to pass an afternoon collecting these superb almonds. You simply shake the tree and collect the pods that have fallen. It is better to bypass the ones that have already fallen and go for the freshly fallen ones. After removing the soft skin of the pod, the result is the hard shell of the almond. This shell is extremely durable and cracking it open can be very difficult. Even with a proper nutcracker, it can still take great effort to extract the nut from inside. Many people use a hammer for this purpose. The resulting nut is well worth the extra effort, however.



The main use in Mallorcan cuisine of the local almonds is a special almond cake called “gato”. Almond ice cream is also extremely popular on the island. This ice cream has a light, slightly spicy flavor and is always made with crushed up local almonds. The almonds are also delicious when served blanched and then fried in olive oil and salt, slightly warm.

Mallorca is a great place for almond lovers. Almond paste and almond flour are also staples at even the smallest grocery stores here. The nuts are also far cheaper than their less tasty American counterparts. Even the well-reputed California almond pales in comparison to the native almonds of Mallorca.