Sweet almonds are one of the most highly nutritious forms of food known
to mankind. They contain approximately 21 per cent. albumen, 55 per
cent. pure fat, 17 per cent. carbohydrates, and 2 per cent. organic
mineral salts.
The sweet Valencia and Jordan varieties, on account of their purity of
taste and composition, are particularly suitable for making nut milks
and nut beverages. Almond milk is especially useful as a demulcent in
catarrhal troubles. The bitter almond is sometimes used for flavouring
and culinary purposes, but it contains certain principles which render
it impossible to be used freely as a food stuff.
Almond Milk.
One method of preparing a milk from almonds is that known as the
old-fashioned Almond Mixture which the chemist of olden days often
found a troublesome thing to prepare. To make this it is first
necessary to prepare the compound powder of almonds. This is composed
of 8 ozs. of almonds, 4 ozs. of refined sugar, and 1 oz. of gum arabic.
In selecting the almonds for use they should not be too old, as they
are then too oily and do not lend themselves to beverage making. They
should not be rancid or unpleasant to taste, otherwise the beverage
will be undrinkable. Pine kernels can be used with almonds if desired,
if it is wished to cheapen the cost of the finished article. Assuming
that the nuts are fresh and of good quality, the next thing is to
blanch them. The best way to do this is to soak them overnight in cold
water, then rub off the skins and subject them to a slow dry heat until
all moisture has been removed and the nuts are found to break crisply.
It is a bad plan to put the almonds into very hot or boiling water, as
this coagulates the albumen of the nut, toughens it and so renders it
difficult of assimilation.
When the almonds are blanched and thoroughly dry they must be pounded
or buttered. In the olden times it was usual to place the almonds in a
mortar and pound them until they were reduced to a soft buttery mass.
Nowadays it will be found better to put the dried nuts through a food
chopper which possesses a nut butter attachment, or through the flaker
attachment of the Dana Food Flaker. In this way we get an almond butter
in a state of very fine subdivision. This will answer equally well
either as a nut butter for table use, or for the purpose of making the
almond mixture or almond milk. Pure almond butter (or “almond cream”)
is sold by most “Health Food” stores, ready prepared in tins and can be
purchased by those who do not wish to go to the trouble of making it
for themselves. To make the compound powder of almonds, mix the pounded
or buttered nuts with the sugar (or with an equal amount of sugar of
milk) previously mixed with the gum arabic also in a state of fine
powder. Rub them all lightly together and pass through a coarse sieve.
To make the almond mixture, add gradually one part of the compound
almond powder to 8 ozs. of distilled water, then triturate and strain.
_To make almond milk_, add water to the prepared “almond cream”
mentioned above, little by little, working the cream and water together
all the time with the back of a spoon, until the desired consistency
is attained. This constitutes a very digestible and extremely valuable
substitute for cow’s milk. Pine kernels can be used to replace almonds
if desired.
Almond Emulsion Milk.
Almond milk of a sort can be made by mixing 3 ozs. of pure almond oil
with 1 oz. of the best quality of powdered gum arabic, then adding
water gradually with constant stirring until it has become thickened,
then adding more water until the required consistency is obtained. Rose
water, or orange flower water, used to be added to this in the olden
days, but powdered cinnamon, or lemon juice, or other flavouring can be
added instead, if preferred.