A bit of lore

"During the Middle Ages, Almonds were an important trade commodity -- Almond Milk was used in a great deal of cooking. It wasn't until about 1562 that people in England began deliberately growing Almond trees, largely as garden plants for their blossoms. Yet Almonds were widely known. At the time of Shakespeare, "An Almond for a parrot" meant the height of temptation, perhaps bad temptation, as they must have noted that Bitter Almonds were not good for birdies."

(Copyright 2010 Practically Edible.)