Mallorcan Almonds

The Moors planted the first Almond trees in 903, they missed the soft, velvety taste of an almond tart at the end of the meal. There are now an estimated 5 million almond trees all over the island, almonds are a major crop and contribute to the island’s revenue.

 In the 1880s, the vineyards were destroyed by Phylloxera- a tiny yellow wine pest, which had destroyed vineyards in France, Portugal, Germany and Italy. Desperate Mallorcan farmers decided to plant less vulnerable almond trees in the destroyed vineyards. Almond trees also promised stable prices and had a constant market. 

Today almost 50% of the almond growth is exported abroad mainly to Belgium and Germany. However, the problems for mallorcan farmers are not over, almonds may become an endangered species. An infection hit the island over a decade ago and according to scientist Eduardo Moralejo, an estimated 150,000 Mallorca almond trees have succumbed to the disease since 2010. Moralejo's conservative guess is that somewhere between 800,000 and 950,000 trees are affected. That’s 70% of all almond trees are currently infected, though official numbers come in at a significantly lower 50%. Happily, the disease is finally being taken seriously and a number of entities are coming up with creative ways to combat the problem. Studies are being conducted all over Europe that are looking to eradicate the bacteria’s power and save the trees. Mallorca’s almond trees are in danger but measures are being taken to ensure they are not completely wiped off the face of the island. With the hard work and resourcefulness of Mallorcan farmers, I feel sure that Mallorca almonds will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.

From January to February, large parts of the Monturi plains are transformed by sweet almond trees, Prunus Dulcis, farmers here have been harvesting almond trees there for centuries. After two years when a sapling has produced at least a few hundred blossoms and the trunk has reached the right size, blossoms of the desired variety are grafted on. The trees will reach full maturity after about 10 years. The harvest time is in late summer. In a similar way to olives, traditional farming methods are used: the nuts are knocked off the tree to fall onto the net under the tree. The kernels are then removed from the hard shells ready to make biscuits, chocolate, nougat, oil, liqueur. 

Mallorca almonds are said to be the best in the world, and the almond blossom is a major attraction for visitors to the island. The delicately scented Pink and White blossom adds a special beauty to the landscape. There are many different native varieties of almond cultivated on the island of Mallorca and the denomination Mallorca is used to cover all the varieties produced there. These nuts are characterized by their pleasant flavour, by the complete absence of bitter almonds, and by their high-fat content. These high-quality almonds have meant that locals have been cooking with almonds for hundreds of years. In my last blog we talked about the nutritional benefits of almonds but they are also versatile and taste wonderful. Roasted, toasted, smoked or blanched, almonds are available to buy everywhere on the island. Traditional Mallorcan cuisine uses almonds with fish, with meat and in sweet dishes.  As in mainline Spain, almonds are popular in various desserts. At Christmas, Turron is considered a great favourite. Gato d´Ametlla, is the delectable almond cake that Mallorca is known for, I have attached a recipe below, although there are lots of variations to make.

Mallorcan almond flour-free cake: Serves 8

Ingredients:

7oz/200g blanched almonds, 5 large eggs, separated, 7oz/200g caster sugar, finely grated orange zest 1 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, butter for greasing the tin, and icing sugar for dusting. Orange zest to decorate is optional.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325F/gas mark 3. Grease a 23cm round cake tin with butter and dust it out with flour. Put the almonds into a food processor and grind them to a very fine powder. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl for 4–5 minutes until pale and creamy. Fold in the almonds, orange zest and cinnamon. The mixture will be quite stiff. Clean the beaters of the whisk, then use to beat the egg whites in a large clean bowl until they form soft peaks. Add two large spoonsful of the egg whites to the mixture to loosen it slightly, then gently fold in the remainder. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 minutes until a skewer, pushed into the centre of the cake, comes away clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then turn out and dust with icing sugar. To add some extra Majorcan spirit, grate orange over the top!

As I mentioned before, almonds are a remarkable source of income to the agricultural Mallorca and therefore very important to pay tribute to, several events are held on the island to celebrate almonds. In the town of Son Servera, you can visit an almond-themed fair coinciding with the blossoming of the trees. The Fira de la Flor d’Ametler is held in February in the grounds of Ses Cases de Ca s’Hereu, a finca in the town of Son Servera dating from the 18th century. You most certainly should never leave Mallorca without having tasted the Gato d´Ametlla eaten with almond ice-cream and a coffee accompanied by a small glass of Flor d’Ametla the famous liqueur made of almonds. This fair is known to be one of the most interesting fairs on the Mallorcan cultural scene.

Fira de la llet d’Ametlla is a Yuletide almond milk festival on Mallorca in December. The sweet flavour of almonds makes them ideal for milk- making. Celebrated in Pla de na Tesa in Marratxí, local almond farmers take their produce into town to allow people to taste almonds and almond-based dishes that are deep-rooted in traditional Mallorca cuisine. You can wander around the Aristan stalls and look at the old vehicles, traditional almond-farming machinery and animals and see presentations on growing almonds and the subsequent production of almond milk. It’s also a great chance to buy some unique Christmas presents from artisan makers.

I always love the chance to combine a cultural experience with some eating and shopping!