Turrón (Spanish), also known as Torrone (English) is a nougat confectionary mostly consumed as a traditional dessert for Christmas in Spain. Turrón is of Moorish origin and was definitely known since at least the 16th century in the city of Jijona (formerly Sexona, or Xixona in Valencian), north of Alicante. Turrón is now commonly consumed in most of Spain, some countries in Latin America, and in Roussillon (France).
It is typically made of honey, sugar, and egg whites, with toasted almonds or other nuts. It is usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake. Once the honey is caramelized the recipe suggests adding pine nuts, almonds or hazelnuts - peeled and roasted (the quality of the product is determined by the quantity of almond in the mix). The mix is then cooked a little longer and finally removed from the heat and cut into slices. Once cooked it becomes breakable when it is cooled.
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 chewier.
Genuine Jijona turrón must contain 64% almonds, the Alicante version 60% almonds.
The 16th-century Manual de Mujeres (a handbook of recipes for cosmetics and some foodstuffs) contains the oldest extant Spanish turron recipe (also available in English).
Our Turron arrives from the town of Jijona from a company called Jose Garrigos, which was established in 1890 and is a master in the art of turron, producing Spain’s best Turron. We stock both varities - el duro y el blando throughout the year. This product is a favourite due to its ability to be used as a dessert. |
