Thread: Sweet Apricot Kernels From Trader Joe's

On Dec 10, 11:33*am, Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> wrote:
> 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!

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

merryb wrote:
>
> On Dec 10, 11:33 am, Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> wrote:
> > 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!
>
> Do they taste like almonds? Wonder if people with nut allergies
> could eat them...

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.

Mark wrote:

> 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!

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

Mark Thorson wrote:
> 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!


I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.

gloria p

On Dec 10, 5:10*pm, Gloria P <gpues...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Mark Thorson wrote:
> > 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!
>
> I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.
>
> gloria p

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

Lynn chimed in:

>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>> 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!
>>
>> I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.
>>
>> gloria p
>
> So did I!
> Lynn in Fargo
> wasn't it" Laetrile" - that cancer "cure" from the 60s


....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.

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

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

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Lynn chimed in:
>
>>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>> 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!
>>> I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.
>>>
>>> gloria p
>> So did I!
>> Lynn in Fargo
>> wasn't it" Laetrile" - that cancer "cure" from the 60s
>
>
> ...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.
>
>
>
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.

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

> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>> Lynn chimed in:
>>
>>>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>>> 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!
>>>> I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.
>>>>
>>>> gloria p
>>> So did I!
>>> Lynn in Fargo
>>> wasn't it" Laetrile" - that cancer "cure" from the 60s
>>
>>
>> ...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.
>>
>>
>>
> 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]"
>

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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"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.

Gloria P wrote:
>
> Mark Thorson wrote:
> > 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!
>
> I thought that peach and apricot kernels contained cyanide.
>
> gloria p


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.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> "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.

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.

"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.