Everything about Nougat totally explained
Nougat (Pronounced nu-ga-) is a term used to describe a variety of similar
confectioneries made with
sugar or
honey, roasted
nuts (
almonds,
walnuts,
pistachios or
hazelnuts are common, but not peanuts) and sometimes chopped candied
fruit. The consistency of nougat can range from chewy to hard depending on its composition, and it's used in a variety of candy bars and chocolates.
There are two basic kinds of nougat: white and brown. White nougat is made with beaten
egg whites and is soft, whereas brown nougat (called
nougatine in French) is made with caramelized sugar and has a firmer, often crunchy texture.
Distribution and popularity
In southern Europe, where it's likely to have originated, nougat is largely associated with the Christmas season. Traditional nougat candy is produced mainly in
Spain (where it's called
turrón, or, in
Catalan,
torró) and in
Cremona,
Italy (where it's called
torrone);
Montélimar,
France; and
Belgium. It is also enjoyed in
Australasia and the
Far East, where it's sold as a gourmet confection. Golden Boronia and Flying Swan are some examples of European nougat specifically manufactured in Australia. An online poll primarily based of North Americans show that from a variation of 8 flavors the most popular is the regular almond soft closely followed by the almond crunchy and the unique green tea soft as the next favorite.
The "nougat" used as an ingredient in many modern
candy bars isn't similar to traditional recipes, but is a mixture of
sucrose and
corn syrup aerated with a whipping agent such as
egg white or hydrolyzed
soya protein. It may also have
vegetable fats and
milk powder added, and is typically combined with nuts, caramel or chocolate. In contrast, some European confections feature nougat as the primary component, rather than one of several.
Milky Way,
Mars,
Snickers,
Reese's Fast Break,
Reese's Whipps and
Baby Ruth all have different types of nougat.
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 edible wafer.
Australian nougat is produced by a similar method to French nougat but usually has a 50% almond content and no pistachios, although 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,
gianduia is traditionally called nougat.
Persian nougat, known as
gaz, is a variety that has been produced in
Isfahan,
Iran for many centuries by Ashrafi nougat and other traditional producers. It contains the sugary extract of the root of
Tamarix. A special kind of Gaz is referred to as
Nogha (نوقا) in
Persian.
Nogha is almost exclusively made with walnuts instead of pictachios & 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 two 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nougat'.
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