Almond Trees

The almond tree is an endemic Mediterranean tree, synonymous with Greek traditions, as it has been cultivated since antiquity.

In Kythera, it thrives even in the stony and dry soils of the island. In the past, each family had some almond trees for their needs. In the north of the island, around Karavas, there was systematic cultivation of almond trees, which was exported to Athens by boat from Agia Pelagia.

The almond is the main ingredient of some of the most typical recipes of Kytherian baking, such as “rozedes”, “amygdalota”, “melounia” and “mantoles”. Traditional almond sweets from Chora are the “pasta mylou” (type of local cake), “achladaki me dragante” and “boudino”. During local community celebrations and weddings, families and friends gather together to make the “soumada”, a drink made from local almonds.