Nougat

Nougat bar

Nougat (US: /ˈnuːɡɨt/ nu-gət, UK: /ˈnuːɡɑː/ nu-gah) is a variety of similar traditional confectioneries made with sugar and/or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and recently macadamia nuts are common), and sometimes chopped candied fruit. The consistency of nougat can range from soft and chewy to hard and crunchy depending on its composition, and it is used in a variety of candy bars and chocolates. The word nougat comes from Occitan pan nogat (Occitan pronunciation: [panuˈɣat]), which means nutbread.

There are three basic kinds of nougat: The first, and most common, is white nougat (which appeared in Cremona, Italy in the early 15th century and later in Montélimar, France, in the 18th century) is made with beaten egg whites and honey. The second is brown nougat (referred to as "mandorlato" in Italy and nougatine in French) is made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture. The third is the Viennese or German nougat which is essentially a chocolate and nut (usually hazelnut) praline.

Distribution and popularity

In southern Europe, where it is likely to have originated, nougat is largely associated with the Christmas season.^[1]

Turron, a candy related to the traditional French nougat, is produced in Spain (turrón, or, in Catalan, torró), in Cremona, Taurianova and Sicily in Italy (where it is called torrone, or Cupeta from Latin Cupedia^[2] ; the most famous Sicilian nougat is called cubbaita), Greece (where it is known as mandolato), Malta (where it is known as qubbajd and sold in village festivals).

The "nougat" used as an ingredient in many modern candy bars in the United States and United Kingdom is different from traditional recipes, being a mixture of sucrose and corn syrup aerated with a whipping agent such as egg white or hydrolyzed soya protein or gelatine. It may also have vegetable fats and milk powder added, and is typically combined with nuts, caramel, or chocolate. In contrast, some American confections feature such "nougat" as the primary component, rather than one of several. Varieties of nougat are found in 3 Musketeers, Double Decker, Mars, Snickers, Milky Way, Toblerone, ZERO bars, Salted Nut Rolls, Reese's Fast Break, Reese's Whipps, and Baby Ruth bars.

In Britain nougat, occasionally pronounced 'nugget', is traditionally made in imitation of the southern European varieties and is still commonly found at fairgrounds and the seaside. The most common industrially produced type ^[3]is coloured pink and white, the pink often fruit flavoured, and sometimes wrapped in edible rice paper with almonds and cherries, sometimes substituted for peanuts, or omitted altogether.

Nougat is also enjoyed in Australasia and the Far East, where it is sold as a gourmet confection. Golden Boronia, Mondo Nougat(which also distributes its off-cuts through its subsidiary company "the Margaret River Nougat Company) and Flying Swan are the most widely known manufacturers in Australasia specializing in the production of European style nougat all year round as opposed to the many European manufacturers which treat the product as a seasonal specialty. The popularity of nougat in Australasia has primarily been driven^{[clarification needed]} by the Australian manufacturers as well as some imported varieties from South Africa and Europe.

Variations

Spanish turrón follows the traditional recipes with toasted almonds, sugar, honey, and egg whites.

Torrone from Italy includes these same basic ingredients as well as vanilla or citrus flavoring, and is often sandwiched between two very thin sheets of rice paper.^[4] In the Venetian town of Cologna Veneta is produced mandorlato, always based on honey, sugar, egg whites and almonds (mandorle in Italian) but with a different taste and harder to bite than torrone.

Australian nougat is produced by a similar method to French and Italian nougat but usually has a 50% almonds, it can contain Macadamia nuts, apricots, or other texture modifiers. The nougat is commonly produced in two varieties: soft and crunchy. During candy making, this is done by heating a sugar solution to different temperatures before folding in egg whites and honey.

"Wiener (Viennese) Nougat", or, in German, "Schmelz-Schokolade" (molten chocolate) is a variant which contains only sugar, cocoa butter, almonds, and cocoa mass, and has a mellow consistency. In Germany, gianduja is traditionally called nougat.

Persian nougat, known as Gaz, is a variety that has been produced in Isfahan, Iran for many centuries by various manufacturers including Ashrafi Gaz, Kermani Gaz, Shirin Gaz, Sekkeh Gaz and others. Gaz can also contain the sugary extract of the root of Tamarix.

A special kind of Gaz is referred to as Nogha (نوقا) in Persian derived from the word Nougat and made mainly in the Turkish regions of Iran. Nogha is almost exclusively made with walnuts instead of pistachios and almonds which are usual for other types of Gaz. The making of Nogha is very much the same as any other Gaz. The difference is that Nogha is usually spread between two very thin layers of wafers and cut into 10x5x5cm sections which are larger than ordinary Gaz cubes.

There are three types of African nougat, or nougati, ranging from the white kurtzati to the black baxtiti, and mainly containing fruits rather than nuts. The higher fruit-to-nut ratio can be most prominent in the brown simchati nougat variety.

See also

• Gaz (candy)
• Halva
• Turrón

References

1. ^ "Nougat". Linda's Culinary Dictionary. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Glossary/N.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-07. 
2. ^ http://www.sito.regione.campania.it/AGRICOLTURA/tipici/tradizionali/torrone-benevento.htm
3. ^ http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/food/barrat-nougat-bar/
4. ^ Gangi, Roberta (2005). "Sicilian Torrone". Best of Sicily Magazine. http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art161.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-07.