Almond milk

A bottle of raw almond milk.

Almond milk is a milky drink made from ground almonds. Unlike animal milk, almond milk contains no cholesterol or lactose. Regular, unsweetened almond milk can be used as a substitute for animal milk in many recipes, and as it does not contain any animal products, is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Commercial almond milk products come in plain, vanilla, or chocolate flavors and are often enriched with vitamins. Almond milk can also be made at home by combining ground almonds with water in a blender. Vanilla flavoring and sweeteners are often added.

History

In the Middle Ages, almond milk was known in both the Islamic world and Christendom, where its vegetable composition—being a nut that is the seed of a fruit of a plant—made it suitable for consumption during Lent. Almond milk was also a staple of medieval kitchens because cow's milk could not keep for long without spoiling and would instead usually be turned into butter or cheese immediately.

Historically, almond milk was also called amygdalate. It was consumed over a region stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to East Asia.

The Viandier, a 14th-century recipe collection, contains a recipe for almond milk and recommends its use as a substitute for animal milk during fast days.

See also

• Almond tea
• Almond jelly
• Horchata

Further reading

• G. H. Docena; R. Fernandez; F. G. Chirdo; C. A. Fossati (June 1996). Thomas Bieber. ed. "Identification of casein as the major allergenic and antigenic protein of cow's milk". Allergy (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons) 51 (6): 412–416. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1996.tb00151.x. ISSN 0105-4538. OCLC 119867765. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119209344/abstract. Retrieved 2007-04-29. 
• Taillevent, Guillaume (1988-01-01). Scully, Terence. ed (in the original French, with a complete English translation provided). Le Viandier de Taillevent. An Edition of all Extant Manuscripts. [The "Viandier" of Taillevent : an edition of all extant manuscripts]. 542 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada: University of Ottawa Press. ISBN 978-0-7766-0174-8. OCLC 611591796. http://www.press.uottawa.ca/book/the-viandier-of-taillevent. Retrieved 2010-08-20. Lay summary (2009-04-12). "This volume is the first to present all four extant manuscripts of the Viandier. The texts of the 220 recipes are in the original French and a complete English translation is provided. Variants between the four manuscripts represent more than a century of modifications in gastronomic tastes and culinary practices in French seigneurial life. The commentary and notes trace the significance of these modifications and indicate the influence the Viandier exercised on more recent cookery books throughout Europe. This critical edition also includes a glossary and a bibliography. In addition, selected recipes have been adapted (with minimal modification) for modern use and arranged in a menu for six people." 
• Scully, Terence (1995-08-24). The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages. 542 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-611-8. OCLC 32132932. http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=6929. Retrieved 2010-01-05. Lay summary (2009-04-12). "The medieval kitchen revealed: the master cook who worked in the noble kitchens of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries had to be both practical and knowledgeable. His apprenticeship a(c)quainted him with a range of culinary skills and a wide repertoire of seasonal dishes, but he was also required to understand the inherent qualities of the foodstuffs he handled, as determined by contemporary medical theories, and to know the lean-day strictures of the Church. Research in original manuscript sources makes this a fascinating and authoritative study where little hard fact had previously existed. Numerous recipes, extracted from manuscript sources, indicate how rich and varied a choice of dishes the fifteenth century gastronome could enjoy. In this fascinating study Dr Scully examines both the theory and practice of medieval cooking, demonstrating their complex interdependence.
  During his apprenticeship the medieval master cook learnt a range of culinary skills using the standard facilities — open fire, the mortar and the bolting-cloth —to their best advantage. He had a large repertoire of preparations in order to accommodate the seasonal scarcity of certain foods and the lean-day strictures of the Church. He was also familiar with the inherent qualities of all the foodstuffs he handled, as determined by contemporary medical treatises, in order to ensure that he never imperilled the health of his master's household by an unsuitable choice of ingredients. With few exceptions, these ingredients are much the same as those used today. It is the how and why of their different treatment that makes the cookery of five centuries ago of such interest." 

External links

• Karen Knowler (2007-05-13). "The Raw Food Coach: Almond Milk". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhlwtHA6MSg. Retrieved 2008-01-23. 
• James L. Matterer (2000). "Almond Milk". Gode Cookery. http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec31.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
• Zel and Reuben Allen (February 2001). The Bittersweet Almond Saga. "On the Highest Perch". Vegetarians in Paradise (Los Angeles, California, United States: Los Angeles Vegetarian) 3 (2). http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch31.html. Retrieved 2010-07-01.