>On Tue, 12 Aug 1997, JoAnn Betten wrote:
>> i avoid almonds since i read this:
>> "But not even ardent nut lovers eat wild almonds, of which a few dozen
>> contain enough cyanide (the poison used in Nazi gas chambers) to kill
>> us....Almonds provide a striking example of bitter seeds and their change
>> under domestication.  Most wild almond seeds contain an intensely bitter
>> chemical called amygdalin, which breaks down to yield the poison cyanide.
A
>> snack of wild almonds can kill a person foolish enough to ignore the
warning
>> of bitter taste."
>
>Yes, but he's talking about WILD almonds, and goes on to explain that
>domesticated almonds aren't bitter and are perfectly fine.
>
What's the difference between almonds and potatoes, then?  If we avoid
potatoes because the domestication was what made them edible and minor
amounts of the toxins are still present in the domesticated version, then
shouldn't the eating of almonds follow the same logic?  Are potatoes a no-no
for any other reason according to NeanderThin thinking?

Lisa Sporleder
Ester, Alaska  (wild raspberries are over, but rosehips are almost ready)