Alongside olive oil, another of the region's star products is almonds. Although the interior of Tarragona is dry, the fields benefit from the sea's humidity. I remember my grandparents beating the trees with sticks while my siblings and I crouched down to collect the almonds that fell and put them in a basket. I remember my grandmother selling them for a lot of money! She gave us 1,000 pesetas each as a reward, hoping that we would come back to help with the harvest the following year. Of course we did! She used to make caramelised almonds for Christmas, and even today, their taste reminds me of her.