If we go to
http://www.ars-grin.gov/ars/PacWest/Davis/prunus.html which apparently has something to do with UC Davis (top aggie school in CA) we read:
"The plum, prune, apricot, cherry, peach, nectarine and almond all belong to the family Roseaceae genus Prunus. These trees are grown commercially for their fruits and also ornamentally in landscape design. The structure of all Prunus fruits is a drupe; the pit or stone inside them is really the hardened inner wall of the ovary and the fleshy part is the outer wall of the ovary. The seed itself lies inside the pit or stone - hence the name 'stone fruits'. Only the seed or kernel of the sweet almond is commonly eaten. The kernel of the other Prunus fruits is unpleasantly bitter."
Okay, (Dave here), only the nut/seed/kernel of the almond "ovary" tastes totally great, especially roasted with butter on top of trout (as in trout almondine).
We do the opposite with other great
prunus species. We ditch peach pitts yet eat the outer flesh in fantastic cobblers, pies--or plum flesh in jam, or apricot flesh, or nectarine . . . Don't mess with that nut inside a peach or nectarine pitt.
I'm wondering if smoke from the individual
prunus woods tastes
similar to other members of the same, larger
prunus family (??).
Does cherry smoke resemble almond and peach? Will the smoke from an ornamental flowering plum, with it's deep purple leaves and scant fruit, (common lawn tree in Vegas, more common elsewhere) taste like the cherry-tree variety George Washington chopped down and now flower each spring all over DC?
Similarly, do all the citrus woods taste alike?
Perhaps these are questions that can be better answered as the spirit of good barbecue continues to gradually grow and catch on, and people continue to explore other woods that are not common to the birthplace of exquisite barbecue, the southern United States, (not to mention jazz!).
As even a newbie (with zero smoking experience) like me can see, barbecue is becoming international, while great barbecue remains comparatively rare outside the South.
Your thoughts are welcome and appreciated!