Sweet almond | tree and nut | Britannica (original) (raw)

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characteristics

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  In almond: Sweet almonds and bitter almonds
  There are two varieties: sweet almond (P. dulcis, variety dulcis) and bitter almond (P. dulcis, variety amara). Sweet almonds are the familiar edible type consumed as nuts and used in cooking or as a source of almond oil or almond meal. The oil of bitter almonds is used in…
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  In Rosales: Chemicals
  …of two kinds, bitter and sweet. Almond oil, used for flavouring, is extracted from the bitter almond. The crude oil contains considerable amygdalin and is poisonous, but this is removed during refining. The almonds eaten as nuts come from sweet almond varieties, which do not contain amygdalin and are safe…
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