Fruit, vegetables and pulses

Tondina almond of Alto Salento

Tondina almond of Alto Salento: a small, round nut with a sweet kernel

A native almond of northern Brindisi province, at home in the countryside of Ostuni, Ceglie Messapica, Carovigno, San Michele Salentino and San Vito dei Normanni. The trees blossom as early as February and the nuts ripen in August and September. Local pastry makers long relied on it for dry biscuits and for the confetto riccio of Francavilla Fontana.

• Small and round, exactly as the name suggests
• A hard shell guarding a sweet kernel
• Protected by a Slow Food Presidium that keeps the variety in cultivation

How to enjoy it. Think of it as a baker's almond: once toasted it holds a sugar coating and keeps its crunch, as in the traditional confetto riccio.

Production areas

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