Turrón is probably the best known Spanish sweet abroad. I have seen nougat in candy shops around the world but it is worrying that domestic demand has fallen in recent years due to false prejudices about how many calories they provide. It is true that they are composed of very caloric ingredients, but it is also true that this depends on the amount consumed and of course the nutritional contribution of honey and dried fruit is not negligible at all. I would say more, the nougat made of honey and nuts should be consumed regularly within the framework of a healthy Mediterranean diet.
Spanish nougat producers, mainly located in Alicante at the south east of Spain, base their entire turnover on Christmas sales. In my opinion they have failed to promote the nougat outside of those dates and that is taking its toll on them.
The origin of the nougat is probably Arabic. In fact, halva, made with sesame paste, is very similar in texture and format to Jijona nougat (Jijona is the most important city producer of turrón).
The turrón recipe is very simple. It consists of mixing nut flour - almond and hazelnut, mainly -, honey in a similar proportion and egg whites to "whiten" the mixture. If you live abroad and it is not easy to get nougat there or you are curious people who want to experiment with making nougat, here is the recipe.
INGREDIENTS :
- 250 grams (9 oz) of roasted and peeled hazelnuts (or almonds)
- 250 grams (9 oz) of honey
- 1 large Egg
* if you want to make more quantity of turron, simple make double of nuts and honey. For 18 oz of nuts, use 18 oz of honey and 2 eggs.
First we pour the honey into a saucepan over medium heat. When it starts to boil we lower the heat and keep it at a minimum heat for about ten minutes.
Then we remove from the heat and when the honey is warm, we add the beaten egg white and the flour obtained from the crushed nuts. You have to stir slowly but constantly for a long time until you get a homogeneous dough.
It is best to have low-rise rectangular aluminum molds or silicone molds. For the first ones, it is necessary to place a waxed paper then pouring in the dough obtained. It should then be allowed to stand at room temperature for at least three or four days. Then it is removed from the mold with the help of the paper and it is ready to be consumed.
As you se no oven, no fridge.
Simple, isn't it?