So I’m sitting here at work right now, watching a Chris Bryant training video, and munching on my favorite snack: almonds. And so my curiosity, as it sometimes does, is pestering me again…what do almonds smell like?
Luckily, I now have an electronic copy of my husband’s smell dictionary handy on my computer and almonds, as it so happens, is the very first entry. It reads:
Almonds have a pleasant smell that is a more distinctive than most nuts—
certainly more so than macadamia or peanuts. I believe that it’s a question of the dust inside the Sunkist jar. But almonds wear glasses and sweaters, whereas other nuts tend towards short sleeve shirts and loud Bermuda shorts. Almonds would be at home attending a musical (though probably not an opera) whereas peanuts have a hard time getting out of the barroom or the beer tent. It’s still not an entirely pleasant smell to me, as I’m sure you understand, but there’s a dignified whiff of birch tree bark to almonds that is actually quite reassuring. Level of Intensity: 9 (11-14-05)
I’m not sure how much I trust this entry or any nut entry for that matter as my husband absolutely cannot stand the taste, texture, or aroma of any kind of nut. Seriously, if I’ve eaten nuts I have to be careful to brush my teeth before kissing him as even the mildest hint of flavor is enough to set off his gag reflex.
So, as you can imagine, I doubt my husband opened a jar of almonds and got a good ol’ whiff before writing this entry.
Anything anyone would like to add?
- Jul 3, 10:56 AM
- 2 Comments
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1 · Michelle Pendergrass · Jul 3, 11:39 AM
I’ll work on that one for you. I don’t think there’s a nut I don’t like.
My favorites are cashews and dry roast peanuts.
Phil has some almonds in his lunch. I’ll have to wait til he gets home to smell them. ;)
2 · Amy · Jul 10, 02:56 PM
I don’t know if I have the same aptitude for these descriptions as Chet, but I do love nuts.
Almond scent to me is very mild, not intense at all. There is an intense version of it found in “almond extract” which like vanilla extract is used to scent cookies with almondy goodness. But sniffing the bottle is a bit harsh and overwhelming — the rubbing alcohol of nuttiness. Baked into cookies it gives a “thick” smell, almost like the cookies become “deeper” because of the smell.
Regular roast almonds out of the can smell to me like rubbing your face against the bark of a pleasantly smooth tree trunk on a cold day, when the friction helps warm your cheeks and makes you smile. Plus salty. So maybe the tree is near the ocean.
Unsalted almonds would be more inland. :-)