However, the Nordic lady was never happy in this fruitful land of bounty. One day, seeing his dear wife crying watching the green hills of Al-Gharp, the caliph suddenly realizes the poor princess is terribly homesick, missing the snowcapped mountains of her native land. There was no way he could alter the seasons and bring snow to the green slopes, but instead he came up with a brilliant idea. He ordered his men to plant almond trees all over, so that each spring the hills of the western lands would become like the northeast, painted in white with the snowy white blossoms of the almond trees. He kept his order a secret and waited patiently for the spring to come.

The next spring his deeply saddened wife woke to a miracle. She thought for a moment that she was back home; the lawns and hills beyond their castle were all under a blanket of fairy whiteness as if covered with snow. Since then almond blossoms have been a symbol of Algarve and needless to say almonds have remained a main feature of Algarve cuisine.