PARIS, France – A classic ingredient in French cuisine, its popularity seems to be linked to the festive season, with the Epiphany cake: here is the almond, and more specifically the European almond, the star ingredient of healthy and sustainable cuisine.
France is one of Europe’s major consumers of almonds, and 50% of its imports come from Spain and Portugal. The French are particularly fond of almond flour. Last year, more than 6,400 tons of Spanish almond flour were marketed in France.
This is not surprising, given the variety of French pastry based on this ingredient: macarons, financiers.. The European varieties used such as Lauranne of French origin (but also guara, constantí or penta) give them an inimitable taste and quality.
These varieties are grown sustainably in the Iberian Peninsula, on more than 800,000 hectares, 79% of which are irrigated land. A success that has prompted the Spanish association SAB-Almendrave and the Portuguese association CNCFS to set up the “Sustainable EU Almond” project, co-financed by the European Union.
So let’s remember all the dishes that this very Mediterranean product allows you to prepare.
Traditional
Paris-Brest: slivered European almonds, flour, butter, milk, eggs, sugar, pastry cream, praline, icing sugar. Financiers: European almond flour, butter, flour, sugar, coffee, salt, egg white.
Tendency
Frangipane brick: European almond flour, flour, butter, sugar, eggs, pastry sheets, oil. Matcha almond cake: European almond flour, flour, butter, icing sugar, eggs, baking powder, matcha powder.