Nougat

Nougat(US:/ˈnuːɡət/NOO-gət,UK:/ˈnuːɡɑː/NOO-gah;) is a family ofconfectionsmade withsugarorhoney, roastednuts(almonds,walnuts,pistachios,hazelnuts, andmacadamianuts are common), whippedegg whites, and sometimes choppedcandied fruit. The consistency of nougat is chewy, and it is used in a variety of candy bars and chocolates. The wordnougatcomes fromOccitannogat(pronounced[nuˈɣat,nuˈga]), which means 'nutted' or 'nutty'.
Three basic kinds of nougat exist. White nougat (also known as Persian nougat) is made with beatenegg whitesand honey; it appeared in the early 7th century in Spain with Arabs. InAlicante,Spainthere are several published recipes in the 16th century, for instance "La Generosa Paliza" by Lope de Rueda and other novels written by Cervantesand inMontélimar,France, in the 18th century (Nougat of Montélimar). Brown nougat is made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture.Wiener nougatis also made without egg whites, but is soft and less chewy than French nougat.
Many legends exist around nougat's origins. Early recipes of white nougat were found in a Middle Eastern book inBaghdadin the 10th century. That nougat was calledناطفnāṭif.One of these recipes indicates that thenāṭifcomes fromHarran, a city located betweenUrfa(now in southeast Turkey) andAleppo, Syria. Mention ofnāṭifwas found in a triangle between Urfa, Aleppo, and Baghdad. At the end of the 10th century, the traveler and geographerIbn Hawqalwrote that he ate somenāṭifinManbij(in modern Syria) andBukhara(in modern Uzbekistan).
In southern Europe, nougat is a prominent component ofChristmas meals.
Turrónis produced inSpain;nougatin southernFrance;torrone,mandorlato,cupeta, andcubbaitainCremona,Taurianova, andSicilyinItaly;mandolatoormandolainGreece;mandolateortorronein Brazil;mandulatinDalmatiainCroatia;andqubbajtinMalta(where it is sold in village festivals). InRomania, it is known asalvițăand is sold in local festivals and fairgrounds, mainly on the Sunday of Forgiveness preceding theEaster Lent); in a local variant form, it is made inTabriz,Iran, where it is known asLuka.
The nougat that appears in manycandy barsin the United States and United Kingdom differs from traditional recipes and consists ofsucroseandcorn syrupaerated with a whipping agent (such asegg white,hydrolyzedsoyaprotein orgelatine); it may also includevegetable fatsandmilk powder. Typically, it is combined with nuts, caramel, or chocolate. Some American confections feature this type of nougat as the primary component, rather than combined with other elements. Varieties of nougat are found inMilky Way,Reese's Fast Break,Snickers,Double Decker,Zero, andBaby Ruthbars. "Fluffy nougat" is the featured ingredient in the3 Musketeers bar.
In Britain, nougat is traditionally made in the style of the southern European varieties, and is commonly found atfairgroundsandseaside resorts. The most common industrially produced typeis coloured pink and white, the pink often fruit flavoured, and sometimes wrapped in edible rice paper with almonds andcherries.
When nougat spread toTaiwan, preparers there began to add milk powder as the main ingredient, plus sugar, cream, protein (some companies use whey protein refined from fresh milk instead of protein and protein powder), nuts (such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts), dried fruit and petals (such ascranberry, goldenpomelo,mango,orange,longan, andosmanthus). These secondary ingredients have become unique features of Taiwanese nougat.
Compared to table-top nougat, French European nougat does not have any milk or milk powder ingredients. It is made by adding sugar or honey to egg whites and sprinkling in almonds or nuts. In addition, some manufacturers use edible rice paper to prevent the nougat from being deformed, which may affect the taste depending on the amount used.
Spanish nougat known asturrónfollows the traditional recipes with toasted nuts (commonlyalmonds), sugar, honey, and egg whites.
Torronefrom Italy includes these same basic ingredients as well as vanilla or citrus flavouring, and is often sandwiched between two very thin sheets of edible rice paper.TheVenetiantown ofCologna Venetais well known for its nougat production, especially the type calledmandorlato(mandorleinItalian); this type is also based on honey, sugar, egg whites, and almonds but has a different flavour and is harder to bite thantorrone.
Wiener (Viennese) nougatis a variant that contains only sugar, cocoa butter, nuts, and cocoa mass and has a mellow consistency. The nuts used for Viennese nougat are usuallyhazelnuts. In Germany and the Nordic countries, Viennese nougat is traditionally labelled as nougat,while inSwedenandDenmark, the original nougat is referred to as "French nougat".In Germany,giandujais traditionally called nougat.