Spanish nougat Alicante is the authentic hard artisan nougat par excellence from all over Spain. I would even dare to say that he is famous all over the world. And is not for less. It is a heavenly delight made as a Christmas candy.
And I say sweet, connoting “Christmas”, because that’s the way it is. At Christmas parties we inflate ourselves with nougat, be it Alicante nougat, Jijona nougat or any other type of typical Christmas sweet, such as marzipan or polvorones.
And whoever says no… is lying!
The truth is that the nougat itself is a sweet delight. And we could enjoy it more often, but in Spain it is a tradition to eat nougat during feasts and Christmas dinners. So we take it with more enthusiasm.
Let’s find out more about Spanish nougat Alicante!
What is Spanish nougat Alicante?
Spanish nougat Alicante is a nougat made from whole, lightly toasted almonds and honey. It is a type of nougat typical of the province of Alicante, in fact, there is a Regulatory Council in charge of the Denomination of Origin. This denomination is in charge of complying with each and every one of the necessary requirements to belong to the Protected Geographical Indication, both the Spanish nougat Alicante and the Jijona nougat.
Spanish nougat Alicante is also called hard nougat, since the almonds used in the pasta are the main ingredient and, furthermore, they are not crushed. To be considered hard nougat it must contain 46% by weight of almonds.
This type of hard nougat is consumed during the Christmas holidays. It can be consumed throughout the year, although its demand triples in the Christmas months. It is very common to find nougat as Christmas desserts, accompanied by other typical Christmas sweets such as polvorones, marzipan or sugarcane. All these sweets are prepared on trays, thus forming Christmas assortments and distributed on the tables to accompany the coffee.
It should be noted that this Alicante nougat is so delicious and people like it so much that nougat ice creams and other nougat-flavored sweets have even been made.
In addition, hard nougat containing almonds and honey is an ideal product for athletes. Both almonds and honey have a high degree of protein and minerals.
Nougat making: hard nougat recipe
Hard or Alicante nougat consists of the following ingredients for its preparation: selected and toasted Marcona almonds, sugar, honey and egg white.
In the process of making hard nougat, the almonds are roasted in rotary ovens, also called toasters. While, through honey, water and sugar, the caramel is made in mechanical pots with rotating blades.
Once the desired point of the caramel has been obtained, the egg whites are added and the toasted almonds are incorporated. In this way, all the ingredients are combined, obtaining a mass from which the Alicante nougat is obtained.
Hard nougat is said to be the easiest to make, since the previous dough is poured into wafer-covered buckets, left to dry and it would be ready to cut and pack.
Other types of nougat
In addition to the Spanish nougat Alicante, that is to say the hard nougat, there are also other types of nougat that are highly recognized in Spain. Here we show you what they are and surely one of them sounds familiar to you.
Jijona nougat. Jijona nougat, also known as soft nougat, is another type of almond nougat with its respective Denomination of Origin. In this case, the almonds are crushed, not whole. That is why it is called soft nougat, because the crushed almonds are mixed with the caramel, and the result is soft nougat, without large chunks.
Suchard nougat. Suchard’s nougat is the authentic chocolate nougat with puffed rice. We can say that Suchard’s nougat is one of the most recognized in Spain. Its best known type of nougat is that of puffed rice, although there are also more varieties such as whole almonds with chocolate, black nougat with orange or oreo nougat.
Toasted egg yolk nougat. This type of nougat is also very traditional at Christmas dinners. It is a marzipan yolk mace, well toasted and rich, with a touch of cinnamon and lemon zest. A spectacular nougat.
Nougat 1880. They are the nougat known as “the most expensive in the world.” One of the most exquisite nougat and with the widest variety of products on the market. A whole premium nougat.
Coconut nougat. Another variety that never fails at Christmas.
Difference between Spanish nougat Alicante and Jijona nougat
The differences between the Spanish nougat Alicante and the Jijona nougat are very clear. The first and only difference is in its preparation. While the Spanish nougat Alicante is made with whole almonds, the Jijona nougat is made with crushed almonds.
The process of making the nougat is the same until the moment the almonds are joined with the caramel. In the case of hard or Alicante nougat, this dough is allowed to cool to be packaged, while the Jijona nougat is crushed so that the dough with almonds remains creamy. Once it takes on this texture, let it rest to harden.
This would be their big difference, hence their respective names: hard nougat and soft nougat.
Both belong to the Denomination of Origin with their respective Protected Geographical Indications, in this way the quality of the authentic Jijona and Alicante nougats is protected, controlled and defended.
Where to buy Alicante nougat?
If you live outside of Spain, it will be more than mission impossible to find Alicante nougat in a supermarket. And it is a crime not to eat this nougat during the Christmas months.
For this reason, Gastronomic Spain comes to help you. It has a large catalog of nougats, including the Alicante nougat. Although there are many more varieties.
But in addition, we also have a large catalog of typical Spanish products of our gastronomy, from Iberico ham, sausage, cheeses, to snacks or typical sweets from our areas.
Take advantage of this opportunity and treat yourself to a Christmas treat. Those wayward ones are the best.
Free shipping throughout Europe with orders over € 79.99.
