Sweet Apricot Kernels From Trader Joe's

[Mark Thorson]

I was in the mood for some nuts, and disappointedly
reviewing their offerings when I spotted this item.
An 8 oz. bag of dry-roasted sweet apricot kernels
is only $1.99. They're great! Slightly sweet
with a subtle apricot finish. I'm not sure this
bag will see the light of tomorrow. Certainly
not at the rate they're disappearing!

[merryb]

Do they taste like almonds? Wonder if people with nut allergies could
eat them...

[Mark Thorson]

The texture is similar. The flavor less so, with
a distinct apricot note. I don't know about allergies
-- some are very species-specific, while others are
more general. It probably depends on the individual.

[Bob Terwilliger]

Mark wrote:

THAT'S an interesting find! Amaretto is made from apricot kernels rather
than almonds, you know. I'd be a bit too afraid of their cyanide content to
down them by the handful.

Bob

[Gloria P]

I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.

gloria p

[Lynn from Fargo]

So did I!
Lynn in Fargo
wasn't it" Laetrile" - that cancer "cure" from the 60s

[Bob Terwilliger]

Lynn chimed in:

...and Mark was never heard from again.

Bob
Laetrile itself was a synthetic compound. There's a Mexican product called
laetrile which is extracted from apricot kernels as well as bitter almonds,
but although the two products share the same name, they're not the same
chemical.

[merryb]

On Dec 10, 1:43 pm, "Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz>
wrote:

I believe some almond paste is made from apricot kernels...

[Jean B.]

From a wikipedia article on the things:

"In 1993, The State Department of Agriculture and Markets of New
York tested the cyanide content of two 8oz. packages of the bitter
kernel which were being sold in health food stores as a health
snack. The results returned showed that each package, if consumed
entirely, contained at least double the lethal dosage of cyanide
needed to kill a human being. [1] In spite of this, there were no
USA deaths and only 1 serious toxicity from apricot kernels
reported from 1979 to 1998.[4]"

--
Jean B.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Wed 10 Dec 2008 06:02:40p, Jean B. told us...

Then I take it they don't use those in gas chambers. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)
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Date: Wednesday, 12(XII)/10(X)/08(MMVIII)
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Countdown till Christmas Day
2wks 5hrs 46mins
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[Mark Thorson]

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> "In 1993, The State Department of Agriculture and Markets of New
> York tested the cyanide content of two 8oz. packages of the bitter
> kernel which were being sold in health food stores as a health
> snack. The results returned showed that each package, if consumed
> entirely, contained at least double the lethal dosage of cyanide
> needed to kill a human being. [1] In spite of this, there were no
> USA deaths and only 1 serious toxicity from apricot kernels
> reported from 1979 to 1998.[4]"

These are not the least bit bitter.

[Arri London]

They do but in varying amounts. The molecule is amygdalin, which
contains cyanide (CN). The CN breaks off during metabolism. It has been
known to cause poisoning in children; don't know about adults. Would
need to eat a fair amount.

Almonds (and bitter almonds) also contain amygdalin.

[Jean B.]

I wonder whether bitter almond IS bitter. Seems to me that it is
just more intensely flavored, but then I am really dredging back
into my memory.

I gather that since TJ's isn't getting single-source items from
China, that these are from elsewhere. They will come in handy for
the old-time recipes that include some bitter almonds along with
normal ones.

--
Jean B.

[Giusi]

"Jean B." ha scritto nel messaggio > I wonder whether bitter almond IS

bitter. Seems to me that it is
> just more intensely flavored, but then I am really dredging back into my
> memory.

--
> Jean B.

In my experience they are. A mix that contains them isn't pleasant to eat
out of hand.

[lindafau...@gmail.com]

TJ seems to be mixing apricot kernels with its almonds. The almonds are much more expensive.

[graham]

This is a reply to an eight year old post.
However, to be palatable, apricot kernels must be chemically treated to
remove the cyanide.

[Sqwertz]

On 12/2/2016 2:51 PM, graham wrote:
> This is a reply to an eight year old post.
> However,

You're fucking mental.

[U.S. Janet B.]

I thought there was a fuss 20 or 30 years ago about eating apricot
seeds. That was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP.
Apparently that has been addressed.
Janet US

[graham]

When I lived in Australia, >40 years ago, a department store sold
marzipan meal. It wasn't made from ground almonds but from treated
apricot pits.

[jmcquown]

Yep, it's another Google Grouper digging up old posts.

As far as cyanide, same thing with peach pits (not that I know anyone
who actually eats peach pits). The scent of bitter almond has been a
"clue" in many a murder mystery. ;)

Jill

[Sqwertz]

On 12/3/2016 8:46 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> As far as cyanide, same thing with peach pits

DO IT NOW, bully bitch!

[Sqwertz]

On 12/3/2016 10:46 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> Cyanide's bitter almond smell is like asparagus pee - only about 65%
> of the population can smell it.

Drink cyanide and die you filth.

[Brooklyn1]

On Sat, 3 Dec 2016 11:46:40 -0600, Sqwertz <swe...@cluemail.compost>
wrote:

>On Sat, 3 Dec 2016 10:46:47 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> As far as cyanide, same thing with peach pits (not that I know anyone
>> who actually eats peach pits). The scent of bitter almond has been a
>> "clue" in many a murder mystery. ;)
>

>Cyanide's bitter almond smell is like asparagus pee - only about 65%

>of the population can smell it. I've never smelled bitter almonds.
>Perhaps at Victorian detective schools they pass out scratch and sniff
>cards.
>
>-sw

Same is true of all stone fruit; peach, apricot, plum, cherry... I
like the flavor of stone fruit seeds. Sometimes prune pits are open
and I'll eat a few of those seeds. The thing is one would need to eat
a few pounds to become ill.