National Almond Day

National Almond Day, observed February 16th, celebrates one of the oldest cultivated tree nuts in human history. Almonds are believed to have been domesticated in the Near East several thousand years ago, prized both as a food source and, in wild form, notable for containing amygdalin, a compound that breaks down into cyanide-related compounds, meaning early cultivation likely involved selectively breeding sweeter, non-bitter almond varieties safe for regular consumption. Almonds spread along ancient trade routes through the Mediterranean, Middle East, and eventually into Europe, becoming a staple ingredient in cuisines from Spanish and Italian cooking to Middle Eastern and South Asian dishes, used whole, sliced, ground into flour, or pressed into almond milk and marzipan. Spanish missionaries brought almond trees to California in the 18th century, and the state has since become the dominant force in commercial almond production, growing roughly 80 percent of the world's almond supply today, concentrated largely in the Central Valley, though this scale of production has drawn scrutiny over its significant water usage in a drought-prone region. On National Almond Day, people celebrate by snacking on almonds, baking with almond flour or extract, or trying almond-based dishes from various culinary traditions.