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A little reason to celebrate

National Almond Day

Food · February 16

A food day for the almond, the pale, mild nut eaten raw, roasted, sliced into salads, ground into flour or blended into milk.

National Almond Day falls on Tuesday, February 16, 2027. That is 112 days away.

The almond is the seed of a fruit that looks a lot like a small, fuzzy green peach. Instead of juicy flesh, the fruit has a leathery hull that splits open as it ripens, and inside the hard shell sits the nut people actually eat.

Almonds are close relatives of peaches, cherries and plums, which explains the family resemblance in the blossoms. The trees flower early, covering orchards in pale pink and white before most other trees have leafed out.

In the kitchen, almonds are unusually flexible. They are eaten plain or roasted with salt, sliced over green beans, slivered into granola, and pressed into a paste for marzipan. Ground fine, they become almond flour, which shows up in macarons and many cakes. Soaked and blended with water, then strained, they make almond milk. The skins can be slipped off after a short soak in hot water, which is how blanched almonds get their creamy color.

Toasting brings out the most flavor. A few minutes in a dry pan or a moderate oven turns them fragrant and a shade darker, and the change happens fast, so it pays to stay close and stir. Once they smell nutty, they are nearly done.

A handful of toasted almonds on a plate of roasted vegetables is about as easy as cooking gets, and it tastes like you meant it.

Ways to celebrate

• Toast a handful of almonds in a dry pan and eat them warm.
• Try baking something with almond flour, like simple cookies.
• Blanch a few almonds and slip off the skins yourself.
• Sprinkle sliced almonds over a salad or vegetable side.
• Share a small bowl of salted roasted almonds with friends.

Dates

All national days on February 16

Also on February 16

• Do a Grouch a Favor Day

Categories: Food days