Almonds, a Mainstay of both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisines, also Have a Long and Storied History in Islamic, Christian and Greek Folklore.
Almonds, one of the oldest domesticated food-bearing trees, have a long and deep history in the Middle East – in both food and folklore. Depending upon the culture, it has been associated with both male and female symbolism, a feat not easily replicated with most other plants.
There is an ancient Moroccan folktale, for example, that tells the story of a beautiful princess named Hatim. Leaving aside the obvious observation that, in folktales, most female characters are either princesses – or poor girls about to become princesses – and are always beautiful, Hatim was said to be a kind and generous girl, distributing her family’s wealth freely to the poor. This, of course, did not sit well with her father, the Sultan, who thought the poor were well enough off without his daughter’s largess.
“Allah,” she told her father, “will look upon me with favor and will forgive me for giving away your wealth, as it was put to such good purpose.”
The Sultan, however, was unmoved, giving her a choice of either exile or death.
Saying that “exile is nothing but a living death,” the princess chose the latter.
She was duly executed, but Allah, as a reward for her kindness, transformed her into an almond tree – which to this day freely gives its fruit and flowers to all people, inspiring peace and calming troubled hearts.
In Greek mythology, another princess, beautiful and faithful to her prince and lover, Theseus (fidelity also ranks high on the folkloric princesses’ character list), goes down to the sea each day, hoping to see her lover’s ship returning from the Trojan War. When it does not look like the fleet will ever return, she dies of grief and is changed into an almond tree to commemorate her faithfulness.
There is also another Moroccan tale of the girl Jasmina (not usually described as a princess, for a change). She is transformed into an almond tree by Allah after her lover dies in battle. It is said that, each year, on the anniversary of his death, her blossoms and covers his grave with its sweet, perfumed petals.
On to the male side of the almond’s folkloric biography: the tree has also been considered to be the father of all things, because it blossoms before its leaves appear each year. For this reason, the Greek writer Pausanius considered its symbolism as very virile and very, very male. In the Bible, we also find the tale that Aaron’s rod, after it devoured the rods of the Pharaoh’s magician’s rods, was cast into the ground and blossomed overnight into an almond tree and bore fruit.
And last, but hardly least, there is the story of Tannhauser (yes, like in the Wagnerian opera of the same name). Pope Urban tells the knight that his sinful life with the Goddess Venus has so marked him that he has about as much chance of being redeemed as the Pope’s staff has of budding out and growing green. Three days later, of course, the pastoral staff buds and bursts into almond blossoms.
On the other hand, early Christian symbology often shows images of the mandorla (Italian for “almond”) encircling everything from portraits of Mary, with child – which many symbologists explain is a metaphor for “the great womb.” Almonds, they say, resemble the shape of the womb.
However it’s portrayed in folklore and religion, almonds figure prominently in the cuisines of nearly every country in the Middle East and Mediterranean. While the trees are grown today around the world, they most certainly originated in the Levant, where they are among the oldest known cultivated nut trees. European travelers of the Silk Road used almonds liberally as a highly transportable and nutritious food and brought them back to Europe at some point, where they are now grown as far north as Great Britain.
For a great, no-cook, almond sweet recipe that is easy to make and makes a big splash when served, please see Loz, Almond Paste Sweet.
