Principally, sweet and bitter almonds are very different products and can never substitute each other. Today, the most important producers for the European market are Spain and Italy. Californian almonds are of increasing importance. Some Indian desserts also contain almonds, e.g. badaami kheer , an almond pudding flavoured with saffron . This confection is basically an intensively kneaded mixture of ground almonds, sugar and aromatic essences, frequently rose water.
Almond essence is well-suited to flavour cookies, cakes and marzipan.
Since it is very strong, care must be taken not to overdose. If not available, kernels of peach or apricot can also be tried. Bitter almonds' usage in kitchen is mostly limited to sweets. They can, though, be used to flavour spicy dishes, thus giving a very exotic taste. Careful dosage is essential and requires a lot of skill or practise.