The Algarve is renowned for its plentiful crops of figs, cork, carob pods, and almonds.
The fig is delicious when eaten fresh, or with honey or cheese, or in salads and desserts. So as to eat this popular fruit all year round, they are dried and stuffed with almonds, cinnamon, and spices. These dried figs are generally consumed after dinner with a fine port, or even a home made fig liqueur.
The cork oak is an evergreen tree that bears acorns and forms a thick rugged bark. This bark cannot be harvested for the first 25 years of the tree’s life. Successive crops must wait another 10 years between each harvest, this being the time required to grow a new bark. Portugal accounts for 50% of the world’s cork harvest, and protects its trees by making it illegal to cut them down.
The carob tree is also an evergreen and is cultivated for its edible seed pods. The scientific name of the carob derives from the Greek word ‘Keration’; the term ‘Carat’ – the unit by which the weight of diamonds and gold is measured – also derives from ‘Keration’. This alludes to the ancient practice of weighing gold and gem stones against the seeds of the carob tree. Carob pods were the most important source of sugar before cane and beet became widely available. Nowadays, carob is eaten fresh and put in cakes, icing, and cookies. In the Algarve, compotes and liqueurs are made, and desserts that taste somewhat similar to chocolate.
Almond trees grow in abundance across the Algarve but they are not native to the area. The famous legend of the Almond trees tells of a Nordic princess who married an Arab king of the Algarve. In her new dry and dusty surroundings she pined for her own snow-covered lands and her homesickness brought great sadness to the king. His ingenious remedy was to order the planting of thousands of almond trees and, once in blossom, he opened all the windows of the palace. The princess was amazed by the mass of white blossom that greeted her and was instantly reminded of the snow-covered Nordic lands.
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