Almond: Origins and History of Cultivations

Almond: Origins and History of Cultivations
Almond and related species are native to the Mediterranean climate region of the Middle East (Pakistan eastward to Syria and Turkey).

The almond and its close relative, the peach probably evolved from the same ancestral species in south-central Asia.

The regional population of peach-almond progenitor species was separated by the formation of mountain ranges in southern Asian millions of years ago.

The resulting climate change allowed almonds to evolve on the arid western part of this region, while peaches evolved in the humid eastern areas of south-central China.

Almonds were domesticated at least by 3000 BC, and perhaps much earlier, since wild almonds have been unearthed in Greek archaeological sites dating to 8000 BC.

In the wild state, most species of almonds are bitter and unpalatable, as they contain the cyanide releasing compound amygdalin.

Presence of amygdalin in almonds, and by chance, early farmers found these trees occasionally.

Trial and errors combined with selection of the best tasting almonds to plant new trees eventually led to the domestication of modern, sweet almonds.

The almond was spread along the shores of the Mediterranean in northern Africa and southern Europe by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

It was brought to California in the 1700s by Spanish padres who settled the mission at Santa Barbara.

Larger plantings did not occur until the mid 1800s. Around the turn of century, the industry started in California, due to development of superior cultivars in the late 1800s.

Tariffs on almond imports were levied to protect the industry.

From then until about 1960, the industry grew at a moderate pace, but acreage and production have decreased several folds since then, making California the clear world leader in almond production.

In 2004, there were 550,000 acres of almonds in California, making it the most widely planted tree crop in the state.
Almond: Origins and History of Cultivations