The almond of Kashmir — and why it tastes different

Most almonds in Indian kitchens are Californian. They are large, uniform, and cheap.

The Kashmiri almond — Mamra, locally — is none of those things. It is smaller, often misshapen, sometimes with a faint blush of pink. It is also unmistakably sweeter, with a soft crunch closer to a pine nut than to a snack-pack almond.

We work with three farming families in Pulwama who still grow it. The trees flower in March, in the cold, against the blue silhouette of Pir Panjal.