''Turrón'' (), ''torró'' ( / ) or ''torrone'' () is a
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
nougat confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped either into a rectangular tablet or a round cake. ''Turrón'' is usually eaten as a dessert food around Christmas in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
In
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
it is sold in street stalls as ''qubbajd'' during the parish patron saint feast of the various localities. Similar products are sold in street stalls of North African Arab states such as Tunisia.
Name
This
nougat confection is known by similar names in different languages. In Spanish it is (), in Catalan (), in Valencian (), in Italian (), in Portuguese (), and in Brazilian Portuguese (). In Sardinian it is called () and in Tagalog ().
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 existing Spanish ''turrón'' recipe. 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
All versions of the name appear to have been derived from
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''torrere'' ('to toast'). The modern confection might be derived from the Muslim recipe prevalent in parts of
Islamic Spain known as ''turun'',
or even from an ancient Greek recipe.
One may also point to a similar confection named ''cupedia'' or ''cupeto'' that was marketed in ancient Rome and noted by Roman poets.
''Turrón'' or ''torró'' has been known at least since the 15th century in the city of
Jijona/Xixona (formerly Sexona), north of
Alicante
Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...
. ''Turrón'' is commonly consumed in most of Spain, some countries of Latin America, and in
Roussillon
Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...
(France). The similar ''torrone'' is typical of
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
,
Cremona
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...
and
Benevento
Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...
, in Italy. Similar confections, called ''panucha'', are produced in the Philippines.
Variations are found in several regions of the northern Mediterranean.
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
Fructose (), or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and gal ...
or artificial
sweeteners).
Spanish ''turrón''
Traditional Spanish ''turrón'' may be classified as:
* Hard / ''duro'' (the ''Alicante'' or ''Alacant'' variety, named after the city of
Alacant): a compact block of whole almonds in a mass of eggs, honey and sugar; 60% almonds. Depending on the thickness, one may find it difficult to break pieces of ''turrón duro'' as it is so rigid.
* Soft / ''blando'' (the ''Jijona'' or ''Xixona'' variety, named after the city of
Xixona): the almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix bond better; 64% almonds. ''Turrón blando'' has a much more mushy and crumbly consistency.
This variation in ingredients and resulting dryness reflects a continuum that exists also in amaretto (almond-flavored) cookies, from a
meringue
Meringue ( , ) is a type of dessert or candy, of French cuisine, French origin, traditionally made from Whisk, whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acid, acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or potassium bitartrate, cream of t ...
to a
macaroon
A macaroon ( ) is a small cake or cookie, originally made from ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar, but now often with coconut or other nuts. They may also include jam, chocolate, or other flavorings.
Etymology
The name ''macaroon'' is ...
.
Other varieties include ''torró d'
Agramunt'' from near
Lleida
Lleida (, ; ; '' see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It ...
, ''torró de
Xerta'' from near
Tortosa
Tortosa (, ) is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain.
Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hi ...
and ''torró de
Casinos Casinos may refer to:
* Casinos, Valencia, municipality in Spain
* David Casinos (born 1972), Spanish Paralympian athlete
* The Casinos
The Casinos was a nine-member doo-wop group from Cincinnati, Ohio, led by Gene Hughes and which included ...
''.
In modern times, the name ''turrón'' has widened its meaning in Spain to include many other sweet preparations that, in common with traditional ''turrón'', are sold in bars of around 20 x 10 x 3 cm. These bars can have chocolate, marzipan, coconut, caramel, candied fruit, etc.
Italian ''torrone''
''Torrone'' is a traditional winter and
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
confection in Italy and many varieties exist. It differs from the Spanish version in that a lower proportion of nuts is used in the confection. Traditional versions from
Cremona
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...
, Lombardy, range widely in flavor (with various citrus flavorings,
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...
, etc., added to the nougat); as well as in texture, from ''morbido'' () to ''duro'' () or brittle), and may contain whole hazelnuts, almonds, or pistachios or only have nut meal added to the nougat. Some commercial versions are dipped in chocolate. The popular recipes have varied with time and differ from one region to the next. ''Torrone di Benevento'' from
Benevento
Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato (r ...
, Campania, sometimes goes by the historic name ''Cupedia'', which signifies the crumbly version made with hazelnuts. The softer version is made with almonds. The ''torrone di Benevento'' is considered to be the oldest of its kind since it predates Roman times and was widely known in the territories of Samnium. Although originally resembling sticky paste, it now differs only marginally from the varieties of ''torrone di Cremona''.
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...
,
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
and
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
also have local versions that may be slightly distinct from the two main denominations from Lombardy and Campania. The co-founders of
Toblerone were also inspired by ''torrone'' when choosing the name for their chocolate.
* ''Torrone di mandorle'' (usually eaten around Christmas): blocks of chopped almonds in a brittle mass of honey and sugar.
* ''Torrone di
Bagnara Calabra'' is a well-known ''torrone'' given the designation IGP. The recipe, which dates from at least 1700, includes orange blossom honey (from
Calabria
Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...
), almonds (from Sicily), egg whites, sugar, cocoa, and essential oil. There are two variations: ''Martiniana'', dusted in confectioners sugar; ''Torrefatto'', dusted in cocoa powder.
Peruvian ''turrón''
In
Peruvian cuisine ''turrón'' generally is soft and may be flavored with
anise
Anise (; '), also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.
The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, ...
. The original Spanish recipe, which contained ingredients that were rare or expensive in Peru (such as almonds, rose water, orange blossom water, honey), was modified in a variety of ways. One common variety found in Lima is ''turrón de Doña Pepa'', an anise and honey nougat that is traditionally prepared for the Señor de los Milagros (or
Lord of Miracles) religious procession, during October.
Philippine ''turrón''
Cashew
Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree ''Anacardium occidentale'', in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as t ...
''turrón'' (
Philippine Spanish
Philippine Spanish ( or ) is the variety of standard Spanish spoken in the Philippines, used primarily by Spanish Filipinos.
Spanish as spoken in the Philippines contains a number of features that distinguishes it from other varieties of ...
: ''turrones de casúy'';
Spanish: ''turrones de anacardo'') from
Pampanga Province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
is a derivative. It is a bar of
marzipan
Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract.
It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and ...
made with cashew nuts, and wrapped in a white wafer. Unlike in the rest of
Hispanidad
(, typically translated as "Hispanicity") is a Spanish term describing a shared cultural, linguistic, or political identity among speakers of the Spanish language or members of the Hispanic diaspora. The term can have various, different implicat ...
, this candy is not associated with the holiday season. Another derivative is the ''turrones de pili'', made using the native
pili nut.
A similar delicacy is the ''
masareal'' of
Mandaue,
Cebu
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
which is made from finely-ground boiled peanuts, sugar or syrup (''
latik''), and water. It is typically not as dry as the ''turrón'', however.
A derivative but very different
street food
Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...
is the ''
turón'', which is a dessert version of the Filipino ''
lumpia
''Lumpia'' are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, Filipino cuisines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crêpe-like pastry skin called "lumpia wrapper" enveloping savory or ...
''. The most common is the ''turón na saging'', which are sliced banana or
plantain dipped in
brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...
, wrapped in
spring roll wrappers, and deep-fried. However, there are numerous other fillings of ''turón'', including
ube,
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
, and even peanuts, like the ''turón de mani''.
Puerto Rican ''turrón''
In Puerto Rico, ''turrón'' is called ''turrón de ajonjolí'' (sesame ''turrón''). Puerto Rican ''turrón'' is made with toasted black and white sesame seeds, ground cinnamon, lemon juice, bound together by caramelized brown sugar and honey. Other varieties include almonds, lime zest, sunflower seeds with flax seeds, orange zest, and toasted coconut flakes.
Cuban ''turrón''
In Cuba, ''turrón de maní'' (peanut nougat) is a traditional sweet treat. Snack-sized bars are usually peddled across bus stops and crowds, though family loaves of up to two pounds are also available. They run in two variants: ''blando'', ground peanuts pressed into bars with brown sugar; and ''duro'', coarsely chopped roasted peanuts bound together with caramelized sugar and honey.
Protected status
Various types of ''turrón''/''torrone'' that have
protected geographical status
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect na ...
under EU law include:
* ''Turrón de
Jijona'' (PGI) (
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...
)
[EU Profile - Xixona](_blank)
(07/06/2009)
* ''Turrón de
Alicante
Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...
'' (PGI) (Valencian Community)
[EU Profile - Torró d'Alacant](_blank)
(07/06/2009)
* ''Torró d'
Agramunt'' (PGI) (Catalonia)
[EU Profile - Torró d'Agramunt](_blank)
(07/06/2009)
Others, such as ''torrone di Cremona'' (Italy) have protected status by (but not limited to) the country that produces it.
See also
*
List of almond dishes
*
Gaz (candy)
*
Halva
*
Marzipan
Marzipan is a confectionery, confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract.
It is often made into Confectionery, sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and ...
*
Nougat
*
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul ( ) is a filled butter cookie made with semolina flour. It is popular throughout the Arab world. The filling can be made with dried fruits like figs, Phoenix dactylifera, dates, or Nut (fruit), nuts such as pistachios or walnuts, and o ...
*
Kue makmur
* ''
Torrone Nurzia''
References
External links
*
Regulatory Council for Jijona and Alicante varieties* How is turron and marzipan made
Handcrafting procees Sweet Arab Heritage
* I.G.P. Turrón Jijona y Alicante. EU Protection by Generalitat Valenciana Official websit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turron
Almond dishes
Christmas food
Christmas in Spain
Confectionery
Spanish desserts
Spanish products with protected designation of origin
Honey dishes
Cuisine of Abruzzo
Cuisine of Lombardy
Italian cuisine
Cuban cuisine