We want nougat, nougat, nougat
1. Jijona nougat and Alicante nougat have their own Denomination of Origin, which allows them to be specially protected products and their production to be rigorously monitored and inspected.
Thanks to this Denomination of Origin, it can be certified that the raw Materials with which the nougats are made are native to Alicante or Jijona and thus avoid being given a cat for a hare. Almond, always of the Marcona variety.
two. We owe the origin of nougat to the Arabs, a culture that has used the almond in its gastronomy for centuries and has thus transmitted it to subsequent generations.
There is knowledge of the consumption of nougat from the beginning of the eleventh century. The Arabs called it turum and it was a very common dessert that passed as a cultural heritage and whose recipe remains faithful to the original today.
There is no Christmas without nougat
3. This year's novelties in terms of nougat are anything but unconventional. Albert Adriá has dared with the nori seaweed and the matcha tea in the elaboration of two nougats for the historic house Vicens , and he is awakening real passions.
Other gastronomic eccentricities that have continued to please the most demanding palates for two years are the mojito and gin and tonic nougats. By the way, Ángel Velasco, alma mater of Turrones Vicens based in Agramunt, is Catalan, not Alicante.
Four. The origin of yolk nougat has many boyfriends, but one of the most recognized stories is that the idea came from a Barcelona pastry chef who tried to fix a marzipan dough slightly spoiled with egg yolk.
It is also said that it appeared to take advantage of egg yolks that were not used in pastry. One way or another, the invention is Catalan.
5. The confectioners of Madrid have always been the weakness of our monarchs. In fact, the first place where nougat was consumed was at the Court, since it was a royal dessert and whose exclusivity was already known at the time of Carlos V.
Another example would be found at the end of the 18th century with Carlos III, great protector of the guild. The one known as 'Mayor of Madrid' came to publish a sanction that allowed the sale of nougat in the street, before and during Christmas in a period of 40 days.
6. The first cookbook in which a nougat recipe appears as such dates back to the beginning of the 16th century and it is a "Women's Manual". It is located in the Palatine Library of Parma and inside there is an entire encyclopedia of the tasks that high-ranking ladies should do at home.
In addition to cosmetic remedies, it included cooking recipes, among which was a nougat where honey, egg white and nuts were the protagonists.
Casa Mira, at number 30 of Carrera de San Jerónimo
7. Hard nougat is known as Alicante nougat and soft nougat as Jijona nougat. This is because they were originally made with that recipe in those places. It doesn't have much more mystery.
Jijona nougat originally had sugar (the one from Alicante does not), which allowed the sweet to reach more austere economies because of its lower cost. And yes, the people of Alicante are very much theirs with nougat. To Caesar what is Caesar's.
8. There are many regions in Spain where nougat is made; It is not necessary to always go to the province of Alicante. In fact, Soria is a province with quite a tradition when it comes to nougat, having a variety of truly delicious soriana butter.
Another very famous variety is guirlache or guirlache nougat, that without being a nougat in the strictest sense, is associated with this sweet and is very typical of Aragon and southern Catalonia. All of them are always consumed on these dates.
Long live the nougat!
9. Luis Mira, founder of Madrid's Casa Mira, managed to open the legendary Madrid pastry shop that bears his surname in 1842. He managed to finance his company thanks to the money he made selling nougat along the way while traveling from his town to the capital.
Nowadays is a true nougat temple and at Christmas there are real pilgrimages to the pastry shop to get a piece of the precious sweet. To this day, they are still providers of the Royal House.
10. Madrid can be very expensive to buy nougat. We have to go back to Casa Mira to point to what is possibly one of the highest priced nougat in all of Spain. And it is that the kilo of nougat from Jijona in Mira can come out for the modest price of 46 euros.
Other nougats that are as expensive as they are exclusive are those found in ** Lhardy or Turrones Vicens, ** where you can get hold of a 300-gram tablet for between 11 and 12 euros.
eleven. There is the salty nougat and the brilliant idea occurred to the gigantic chef Kiko Moya , a star of gastronomy that shows off its two Michelin stars in ** L'Escaleta , in the Alicante town of Cocentaina.** This delicious extravagance is a delicious snack that gradually wants to make its way into our table throughout the year and moving away from all seasonality.
12. In 2010 Nougat in the kitchen was published, a perfect guide for those who dare with unconventional cuisine, one that is capable of integrating nougat into any stew.
Ladislao Comins, José Box or Kiko Moya himself they dare in the kitchen to prepare dishes like p roasted octopus with nougat or tuna with nougat and curry. There is even a recipe cocktail made with nougat as an ingredient. A bomb.
Lhardy, founded in 1839
13. There is a nougat gin, appeared in 2017 by the chef and barman jijonenco Santi Gomez and his name winks at the Arab origin of nougat: Turum. Gómez has revolutionized gastronomy with his versions with ice cream in cocktail bars. Can you imagine a nougat gin and tonic? It is already possible.
14. The tradition of eating nougat at Christmas is presumably linked to the high cost that this sweet has always had, hence it is consumed on very special occasions, and Christmas deserves it.
From the monarchs to the upper classes and from there to mass consumption, but always on special occasions. The devaluation of this product for mass consumption has been due to the introduction of much lower quality ingredients such as palm oil among others.
15.In 2014 the bubble gum nougat, does anyone remember? Fortunately, no.
Nougat from Alicante