Bitter apricot kernels

Botany and history
Sweet and bitter apricot kernels are the seeds of the apricot, which means the kernels contained in the stone fruit. While the wild apricot trees bear small, sourish fruits with heart-shaped, bitter kernels, the sweet apricot kernels, which have a more elongated, almond-like shape, come from sweet apricots from grafted trees. 
Bitter apricot kernels contain the bitter-tasting, highly toxic hydrocyanic acid glycoside amygdalin, which humans can only consume in small quantities. Soaking the product reduces the concentration of hydrocyanic acid to a consumable level. 
Apricot kernels have a symbolic meaning in various cultures: they are associated with fertility and new life, as they come from the fruit of the apricot and carry the potential for new growth. In other cultures, they are a symbol of hope and renewal, and in Chinese culture they stand for health and longevity. 
Originally from northern China (Central Asia), the apricot spread via trade routes in the Mediterranean region.

Main cultivation countries
The largest quantity of sweet apricot kernels comes from Turkey from the area around Malatya with around 12 - 16,000 tons per year. The second largest supplier country is Tajikistan with around 7,500 tons. Other growing countries are Uzbekistan and China.
The main cultivation area for bitter apricot kernels is China with the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi. Other important producers are Turkey, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Uzbekistan, Greece and South Africa.

Production and use
After the apricots have been dried, the flesh is separated from the stone and the stones are then crushed and the kernel removed. Until well into the 1990s, apricot kernels were still being cracked by farmers and their families, sometimes by hand and at home. 
In the confectionery industry, apricot kernels are mainly used as a raw material for the production of persipan, a raw mass similar to marzipan. The best-known sweets in which persipan is used are dominoes and amarettini.
Apricot kernels contain around 35% apricot kernel oil, which is rich in vitamins and minerals and is mainly used in the cosmetics industry. Apricot kernels are also said to have health-promoting properties, such as a healing effect in alternative cancer prevention, although this has not yet been scientifically proven.