Almonds grown in the Vale da Vilariça, the warm river valley that runs between Vila Flor and Torre de Moncorvo in Trás-os-Montes — one of the oldest and best almond-growing districts in Portugal.
Why this valley
The Vilariça is a geological accident that turned out to be an agricultural gift: a fault-line valley sheltered from the north, with deep alluvial soil and a hot, dry summer, sitting inside a region that is otherwise high, hard and cold. It has been farmed intensively for centuries for exactly that reason.
Almond trees have been part of that landscape for a very long time, and the region's almonds are recognised in their own right — Amêndoa de Trás-os-Montes holds Protected Geographical Indication status. In February the whole district turns white with blossom, and people drive up from the coast to see it.
What Portuguese almonds are like
Smaller and more irregular than the uniform Californian almonds that dominate the supermarket, and considerably more flavourful — sweeter, with more of the marzipan character that industrial almonds tend to lack. They are grown in a dry climate on old varieties rather than in irrigated monoculture, and it shows in the taste rather than in the appearance.
Expect variation in size and shape. It is a sign of provenance, not of poor grading.
Using them
As they are, or toasted — and toasting is the single thing that most improves an almond. Ten minutes in a 170 °C oven, shaken once, until they smell of almond and are just golden inside when you break one. Let them cool completely; they crisp as they cool, not in the oven.
Beyond snacking: in a salad with orange and olives; chopped into roasted vegetables; ground for a tart filling or for the Portuguese almond cakes of the Algarve and Trás-os-Montes; blitzed into almond milk; toasted and salted with a glass of wine.
Allergen
Contains almonds — a declarable tree-nut allergen.
treatfuls
treatfuls
treatfuls
