Unless this is your very first time spending the Xmas holiday period in Spain, you’ll almost certainly have come across the traditional nougat-type treat that is turrón, or torró in Catalan-Valenciano. There are many different varieties made with a wide range of ingredients, but traditionally almendras (almonds) are the star ingredient.
What exactly is turrón?
Well, it isn’t exactly any one thing as there are so many different types, but it is probably best classified as a type of nougat, typically made using honey, egg white, sugar and toasted almonds, although other nuts such as pistachios are not uncommon. It is especially associated with the Xmas holidays in Spain, and in Catalunya, it is even incorporated into the strange tradition of the Caga Tió, where kids beat up a poor smiley-faced wooden log with a stick on Xmas Eve to make it poop turrón out its rear end! Seriously!
Where does turrón come from?
For a treat that is so closely associated with Xmas, it’s a little ironic that it was introduced to Spain by a people that weren’t really big on Xmas at all: the Moors. Food historians reckon that the earliest versions of turrón were probably made in the Arabian peninsula and were gradually introduced to Mediterranean southern Europe, becoming popular particularly in Italy and France, but nowhere more so than here in Spain. When the Moors brought almonds to Spain way back in the 8th Century, their version of turrón wasn’t long in following and over the ages it developed and evolved to give us the uniquely Spanish varieties that we find today.
Spanish turrón today
Nowadays, the capital of Spain when it comes to producing quality turrón is, without a doubt, the Autonomous Community of Valencia, and especially the Province of Alicante, where millions of tonnes are produced every year. That said, it is a very popular treat throughout the country at Xmas.
Although there is a whole range of turrones in existence these days, the two main basic types are still blando (soft) and duro (hard).
Turrón blando has a chewy texture and consistency almost like peanut butter taken straight from the fridge, and is not too far off it in colour either. It comes from the small town of Jijona in Alicante province, where legend has it the Moors first produced their turrón in Spain, and where today there is even a Museu del Turrón. Since the region is conveniently also renowned for its honey, only the finest of local ingredients are used, naturally.
Turrón duro comes from the city of Alicante itself and is crunchier, closer in texture to nougat candy, or peanut brittle. Both varieties have their own official E.U-recognized Denominación de Origen label, so they take their product very seriously indeed!
Quality labels
As with many other products that have their own D.O. labels, turrón has strictly defined levels of quality and must come from a particular area and nowhere else. If you are after only the best, then you should look for the “Suprema” label, indicating that it’s the very best there is. In order to bear the “Suprema” mark a turrón blando must contain at least 60% Spanish almonds, and a turrón duro, 64%. In addition, they should only contain locally sourced honey. The next level down is “Extra”, and most factories only produce these two types. After “Extra”, in descending order are “Estándar” (standard) and “Popular”.
In the case of chocolate varieties, the best ones are labelled “Extrafino”, followed by “Fino” and “Popular”, according to the percentages of cocoa and milk they contain.
Making turrón
As already mentioned, the original traditional ingredients used in making turrón are almonds, honey, egg whites and sugar, although sugar only became a common addition after the Spanish began to colonise the Americas and establish sugar plantations there.
The first step in making traditional turrón is to heat the honey until it just begins to caramelize and then add the sugar and almonds, and then the egg whites to bind the mixture, which is then moulded into “bricks” in metal trays and allowed to set and harden.
As we said, that’s your basic traditional turrón. With all the recipes out there today, other ingredients such as hazelnuts, pistachios, praline, pine nuts, raisins and a whole plethora of other ingredients are often added or even used as substitutes for the originals. In the Alicante version wafers are also sometimes added as an outside layer, and we’ve already mentioned the chocolate ones.
In fact, aside from the Torró de Xixona and Torró d’Alacant varieties, (those are their names in the Alacant-Valenciano-Catalan language, in case you’re wondering!), there are so many different types out there these days that rather than even try to list them off for you, just check out this website instead and you’ll see what we mean!
The Xmas connection
Unlike many European countries, rather than Santa Claus bringing presents for children on Xmas Eve, here in Spain, it is the Three Kings that bring them instead on El Día de los Reyes on the 6th of January. While kids elsewhere might leave out a glass of milk and some cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, Spanish children are more likely to leave out three glasses of sweet wine, a tray of sugared almonds, and a few pieces of turró for Los Reyes.
Turrón is also typically served after just about every Xmas dinner, along with a coffee or brandy and, although you can buy it all year round, it is estimated that well over 80% of total consumption in Spain occurs over the Xmas festive period.
Where to buy turrón
You can buy it just about anywhere, but just remember to check the label to make sure you’re buying quality. Some of the main supermarkets have their own-brand products that are decent and have the quality-controlled labels that we mentioned above, but your best bet is always one of the lovely artisanal shops you find in just about every town where you can get all the best quality products like cheese, cured meats, wines, honey, homemade jams, pastries, chocolates and those lovely jars and tins of seafood delicacies and other preserves.
And, of course, turrón!
Newsflash! November 2023:
The “Best Artisan Burnt Cream Torró” in the country can be found at the Noguera pastry shop in Girona City. Pastry chef Arcadi Rafael Ossa has been declared the winner of the second competition organized by the Barcelona Pastry Guild, beating over forty participants from all over Spain. The winning recipe is a traditional one, slightly modified. In their own words, “We’ve added more lemon and orange zest, we’ve lowered the sugar level, and we’ve added a little more yolk so that it has more sweetness and dissolves better in the mouth”. Its nougat was best rated for its taste, texture and appearance. Noguera Pastissers has its headquarters in Vilobí d’Onyar and several patisseries spread across Girona.”
2024 Edition
Martí Giner, from the Zaguirre pastry shop in Terrassa, has been declared the winner of the third edition (2024) Best Artisan Burnt Cream Torró in Spain competition for 2024. Once again, there were over 40 participants from all over Spain, and once again, a Catalan entry was the best-rated in a blind tasting, the result of which was validated under a notary public. We were going to replace the above paragraph with this one, but since they are both Catalan, we decided to leave them both! Visca Catalunya!!
