There is a special commission that carefully monitors the product, and only those who meet all the requirements are granted the coveted IGP (Protected Geographical Indication). Almonds must make up 46% of the entire product. They are peeled and toasted in rotating drums, and once they reach the desired roasting point, they are added to diluted egg whites and honey, which is exclusively local honey from the Valencian Community. Here is a complete and basically simple recipe for those who want to make their own nougat.
The history of nougat becomes controversial once again. Excluding the fact that it originates from the "Torrazzo" of Cremona, most believe its origin dates back to the Latin "torrere," meaning toasted. But why did the Arabs also call it Turun? In which streets did such a Latin word get stuck in the language of Muhammad? Perhaps it's better not to delve too deeply, because with nougat, one story leads to another, and you might lose your mind. Ultimately, the most beautiful... and sweet, as Christmas approaches, is to start sampling it, perhaps paired with a Catalan Spumante or a good Passito di Pantelleria.
Similarly, nougat is cosmopolitan and belongs to many cities in France, Spain, and Italy. For example, in Italy, Cremona would have loved to boast about its exclusivity, and they have tried in every way, with history books in hand.
For their wedding feast, a mixture of almonds, honey, and egg whites was created, modeled to resemble the "Torrazzo," the bell tower of the city’s cathedral, then, of course, always finished with a Cremonese touch, giving it its name. But the clever Cremonese keep silent about a very important fact that completely distorts their theory. Around 1100, a highly learned knight, Gherardo Cremonese, translated into Latin a text written in Córdoba by the Hispanic Arab doctor Abdul Mutarrif, titled "De medicinis et cibis simplicibus." It spoke of the health virtues of many foods, and once honey arrived, Abdul associated it with a particular dessert that Arabs made, called "Turun."
Thus, almost three centuries ago, the recipe for nougat circulated in Cremona, and later was served so originally and patriotically at the Visconti-Sforza wedding. And after all, the Venetians, who had been dealing with the Orient for a long time, had been eating a cake made with a mixture of honey, almonds, and sugar flavored with many spices for Christmas since the Middle Ages.
But the story doesn’t end there... Once, a long time ago, around the 4th century BC, there was an Italic people, brave and warrior-like, possibly a bit rustic, who descended from the severe peaks of the Apennines into the valley, moving away from Naples and the province—just consider the highly civilized and refined Greeks. Compared to them, the Samnites had very few things, aside from large shields and swords, but among these, it seems there was also nougat. At least, that’s what the great historian Titus Livy and another Roman author Martial suggest, adding that it was called "Cupeta" or "Cupedia," a term that, not by chance, was connected to greed—the great desire to eat it. However, the name has persisted in various parts of southern Italy, especially in Benevento, the quintessential Samnite site and another noble homeland of Torrone, where it is called Cupeta or even Strega, because it is linked to an ancient tradition that makes Benevento one of the meeting places of old witches.
There are other stories, which certainly say that the Chinese introduced us to nougat. And here we must exclaim, disheartened, “But, how?!” According to this theory, the first almond trees grew only in China, and it is known that they were also exported from there.
Surely, the homeland of nougat is Alicante, in that land of Spain which, when it comes to nougat, has absorbed mainly the great Arab tradition. Because, as already clarified and well documented, it was the Arabs who invented nougat. And the Cordobans made this clear to us in the 11th century.
