Tag: Wild almonds

According to plant geneticists, wild almonds contain deadly amounts of cyanide, a natural defense mechanism that makes them bitter and poisonous to consume. This means a simple question like, "can we eat forest almonds?" has a life-threatening answer for the inexperienced forager.

Botanically, almonds are not true nuts but are the seeds of a drupe, which is a stone fruit related to peaches and cherries. The fruit surrounding the almond seed, commonly referred to as the hull, is generally not edible and can be dangerous to consume, especially from wild varieties.