Nougat

From Free net encyclopedia

Nougat is a confectionery made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts are common) and sometimes chopped, candied fruit. The consistency of nougat can range from chewy to hard depending on its composition. White nougat is made with beaten egg white and is soft, whereas brown nougat is made with caramelized sugar and has a firmer texture.

Nougat is particularly popular in southern Europe: for example, in Italy in Cremona, in France in Montélimar and in Spain at Christmas (where it is called turrón, or torró in Catalan).

The so-called nougat found in many modern candy bars is not very similar to traditional nougat recipes, being a mixture of sucrose and corn syrup aerated with a whipping agent such as egg albumen or hydrolyzed soya protein. It may also have vegetable fats, milk powder and nuts added. This nougat is a popular ingredient in American candy bars such as Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers, Charleston Chews, and Mars Bars.

Spanish turrón follows the traditional recipes with toasted almonds (66%), sugar, honey (12%) and egg white with a net weight of c. 300 g.

Persian nougat is a variety that has been produced in Isfahan, Iran for many centuries by Ashrafi nougat and other traditional producers.

A totally different nougat type is called "Wiener (Viennese) Nougat", or, in German, "Schmelz-Schokolade" (melting chocolate, because of its mellow consistency) and contains only sugar, cocoa butter, almonds, and cocoa mass.

History

According to legend, nougat was born in Cremona, Italy in 1441. It was during a wedding of local nobility that the bride and groom were offered a sweet made with honey, almonds and egg white. It was in the shape of the Torrazzo, a 13th century tower, from which the Italian word for nougat, "Torrone", originated.de:Nougat fr:Nougat fi:Nougat la:Nucatum ja:ヌガー nl:Noga zh:牛轧糖 he:נוגט