Alicante nougat: origin and original recipe of hard almond nougat

There is no doubt that Christmas becomes a delightfully wonderful time to enjoy, in moderation, a wide variety of typically Christmas sweets, among which are many who enjoy a very great tradition, whose origin goes back even to many centuries.

In fact, we could almost say that each country has its own traditional Christmas sweets, so that depending on the country where we are we can be able to enjoy a series of desserts.

This is the case of, for example, Spain, where it is usual to enjoy traditional -and wonderful- turrones. And which are precisely the most popular and classic? Without a doubt, two stand out above many others (although today we can find in the Christmas markets a wide variety of nougat for all tastes): known as Nougat from Jijona and the exquisite Alicante nougat.

What is the origin of Alicante nougat?

On the one hand, the origin of the nougat should be found around the sixteenth century, in which there is historical evidence that already at that time there was a sweet introduced by the Arabs in the town of Sexona (now Jijona).

But on its concrete origin there are many doubts about it. For example, some historians point out that its origin was possibly due to a contest proposed by the Arabs, with the intention of finding a nutritious food that was kept in optimal conditions of consumption during long stays, and that in turn was transported easily by the different Arab armies without fear of intoxication.

However, other historians indicate that the nougat came from the hand of a Barcelona artisan surnamed Turró, who made a food with raw materials that were left over during the time, in order to consume it in times of scarcity.

Alicante nougat recipe. Learn to do it at home

As we will see below, the truth is that the Alicante nougat recipe It is very simple to follow and elaborate. You dare? Next we will tell you what ingredients you need, and the steps to follow to make it easily at home.

Main ingredients (for 4 people):

650 g. of toasted almonds
200 g. of sugar
350 g. of honey
2 egg whites
1 package of wafers
3 tablespoons of water
4 drops of anise

Steps to make the turrón de alicante:

Choose a saucepan or casserole, and in it make a syrup with sugar and water to the point of hard ball, having enough consistency.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, heat the honey. Once you notice that it is liquid, join it to the syrup by working it with a wooden spatula. Now put it on the fire to make it ready to caramel.
Beat the egg whites to the point of snow.
Now put the split almonds, the whites on the point of snow and the aniseed with syrup.
Work with the spatula until it is joined.
Roll it in molds with the wafers placed in the bottom. Yes, under them put a white paper.
Now smooth and place another wafer, then put on a wooden board with some weight on top, keeping it that way for a few days.

Another delicious recipe of Alicante nougat

As you can imagine, there are different options when it comes to making the Alicante nougat. If you did not like the previous version very much, we propose another option that you will surely love, because it is something simpler.

Ingredients:

820 gr. of almonds
1 kg. of honey
250 gr. of sugar
2 egg whites

Elaboration of the Alicante turrón:

Put the honey in a saucepan and heat it over low heat for at least 40 minutes. It is necessary that the water produced by the honey as a result of the heat evaporates.
Turn off the heat and now add the sugar to the honey dipper and mix well with the help of a spatula or wooden spoon, until it is well mixed. Reserve it
Carefully separate the yolks from the whites, and beat the egg whites.
Add the beaten egg whites to the previous mixture and beat everything well, until they are mixed.
If you bought the roasted almonds you should skip this step. Otherwise, and if you bought them raw, it is necessary to toast them first. To do so, put them in a pan, and sauté well until they are dark (but without burning).
Add the roasted almonds to the previous mixture and mix everything well, until a uniform paste forms.
To finish, cover with baking paper the mold where you are going to reserve the nougat, and pour the nougat mixture into it, spreading it well. Finally, let cool for a few hours.

What is very simple? Following these steps you will get to make a traditional Alicante nougat, to surprise your guests at home during these Christmas holidays. Oh, and Merry Christmas! ThemesChristmas Christmas Recipes