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Turrón (Spanish), torró (Catalan), or torrone (Italian) is a nougat confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake. It is frequently consumed as a traditional Christmas dessert in Spain and Italy. There are also some varieties in Latin America and the Philippines.
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Recipe
The 16th-century Manual de Mujeres ("Women's Handbook"), a handbook of recipes for cosmetics and some foodstuffs, has what is probably the oldest extant Spanish turron recipe.[1] It calls for honey and some egg whites, cooked until it becomes breakable once cooled. Once the honey is caramelized the recipe suggests adding pine nuts, almonds or hazelnuts, peeled and roasted. The mix is then cooked a bit further, and finally removed from the heat and cut into slices.
History
Nougats in different forms have existed in the Mediterranean region since Roman times. Turrón is definitely known since at least the 15th century in the city of Jijona (formerly Sexona, or Xixona in Valencian), north of Alicante. The similar Torrone is typical of Bagnara, Taurianova and Cremona in Italy. Turrón is commonly consumed in most of Spain, some countries of Latin America, and in Roussillon (France). There are similar confections made in the Philippines, a notable example being Turones de Pili, made using the native Pili nut.
Variations are found throughout the Mediterranean basin.
Types
Turrón itself can take on a variety of consistencies and appearances, however they traditionally consisted of the same ingredients; the final product may be either hard and crunchy, or soft and chewy. Thirty years ago almost all turrón recipes followed the same specifications, but since the diversification of products there are currently dozens of varieties: chocolate with puffed rice or whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts; fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with fructose or artificial sweeteners).
Spanish turrón
Spanish Turrón may be roughly classified as:
- Hard (the Alicante variety): A compact block of whole almonds in a brittle mass of eggs, honey and sugar.
- Soft (the Jijona variety): Similar but the almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix more chewy and sticky.
This variation in ingredients and resulting dryness reflects a continuum that exists also in amaretto (almond flavored) cookies, from a meringue to a macaroon.
The quality of the product is determined by the quantity of almond in the mix. Genuine Jijona turrón must contain 64% almonds, the Alicante version 60% almonds. Apart from the traditional Alicante and Jijona varieties, one also finds torró d'Agramunt near Lleida, torró de Casinos and torró de gat, a variety from Cullera made with popcorn and honey, both from near Valencia.
In Peruvian cuisine turrón generally is soft and may be flavored with anise.
Italian torrone
Torrone is a popular winter and Christmas dessert in Italy and many varieties exist. Commercial versions are more likely to diverge from the traditional recipe and may include flavorings, such as orange, lemon, vanilla, etc.
Philippines
Turrones de Casuy, produced in the Pampangga region of the Philippines is a derivative. It is a bar of marzipan made with cashew nuts, and wrapped in white wafer. It is, however, not associated with any particular holiday season.
Protected status
Various types of Turrón/Torrone that have Protected Geographical Status under EU law include:
- Jijona (PGI) (Spain) [2]
- Turrón de Alicante (PGI) (Spain) [3]
- Turrón de Agramunt (Torró d'Agramunt) (PGI) (Spain) [4]
Others, such as Torrone di Cremona (Italy) have protected status by (but not limited to) the country that produces it.
See also
External links
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ EU Profile - Jijona (07/06/2009)
- ^ EU Profile - Turron Alicante (07/06/2009)
- ^ EU Profile - Turron Agramunt (07/06/2009)
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