Almond is undoubtedly one of the most nutritious dry fruits. Its scientific name is Prunus dulcis. Almonds are popularly referred as nut which is botanically wrong. Almond is a seed of Drupe; a botanical name for a type of fruits in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside.

Origin of the Fruit:
The Almonds are the native of stretch of northern Indian sub continent to Syria, Israel and Turkey. Slowly it spread to the shore of the Mediterranean into northern Africa and southern Europe as well as California.

Production of Almond in India:
India is one of the top producers of Almonds in the world. India reached the production capacity of about 1200 MT in the year 2008.

Types of Almonds:
Almonds are of two types - sweet and bitter. The Kernel of Sweet Almonds is used for extracting fixed oils and emulsion. It is also used in alternative medicine commonly as carrier oil in aromatherapy.

The Bitter Almonds are comparatively boarder and yet shorter than the sweeter one. It contains enzyme emulsin which in the presence of water yields glucose, cyanide and the essential oil.

Health Benefits of Almond:
Almonds are the high fat food that is actually good for health! It has high monounsaturated fats that reduce risk of heart disease same as olive oil. In addition to this, Almonds are rich source of Vitamin E, Magnesium and Potassium. It also provides small amounts of protein, iron, calcium, phosphorus necessary for the healthy growth of human.

Almonds are being eaten in raw form all over the world. They are also edible in blanched or roasted form. They are commonly used in confectionary backing and traditional cuisines. Thus a regular intake of almonds in your diet will not only improve your flavor but your health also.