SCENTED MEMORY: #4, Helen and her Mandel Bread

I had a hard time appreciating the scent of almond when I was younger, always associating it with my grandmother's friend, Helen and her kitchen. To me, almond was the scent of a Jewish cookie, baked in an apartment that also smelled of mothballs and brisket. Helen would always manage to find me when I was visiting my Nana's place at Sunrise Lakes, Phase II. "Such a sheyne punim," she would exclaim, "come to my place, bubbeleh, I just made some mandel bread for you!" The cookie was hard and crunchy, and tasted sweet. It was like nothing else I usually ate (Stella d'Oro fudge cookies, oreos, graham crackers...). The aroma was the most interesting aspect - like vanilla, but yet, not vanilla. I would enter Helen's apartment and immediately the aroma would hit me - Whooosh! A Jewish kitchen, an active kitchen, a kitchen with appliances that were actually used (my mother would kill me if she read this...growing up she baked, she cooked...now the oven is a place to store handbags)!

As a teenager, exploring the world of fragrance, I can remember being unable to wear anything with almond, as the scent was just too striking and memorable...and perhaps painfully nostalgic. My Nana and Helen have long since passed, but recently, I've come to love almond and I think it is precisely because of these associations that it now serves as a comfort note. Maybe it's the actual chemistry of an almond's aroma, or maybe it's just the mandel bread.

Mandel (Mawn-dull) Bread Recipe (click)

And yes, it's basically Biscotti...But isn't it more fun to sound Jewish?

What's your favorite comforting food scent?