Turrón de Jijona is a soft nougat made with almonds, honey, sugar, and egg whites. It was named after its birthplace, a small Valencian town of Jijona (Xixona). This nougat is made by cooking sugar, honey, almonds, and egg whites.
It has a light brown color, and it is speckled with tiny almond pieces. The ingredients are cooked, turned into a paste, and then cooked again in the so-called boixets. The mixture is then poured into molds until it sets. This nougat does not include any wafers.
It can be made with several types of honey, including rosemary and orange blossom honey, while the almonds must come from the Mediterranean region.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Gaz is the Iranian variety of nougat. Nowadays it is mostly prepared with a blend of egg whites, sugar, and nuts, but the original gaz consists of slightly different ingredients. The raw gaz is an exudate of an insect, which is found and collected from wild tamarisk trees.
After it has been collected, it is melted, sieved, mixed with nuts, then flavored with typical aromas such as rose water and saffron. Finally, gaz is shaped into logs or rectangles and cut into smaller pieces. Traditionally produced gaz is a seasonal ingredient, native to the city of Isfahan, which is abundant with tamarisk trees.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Turrón or torró, as it is known in the Catalan language, is the Spanish version of the world-famous confection called nougat. This sweet delicacy typically combines roasted nuts (usually almonds, but also other types of nuts such as hazelnuts or pistachios) with honey, sugar, and whipped egg whites.
A staple Christmas treat, turrón is believed to have originated in the early Middle Ages during the Moorish invasion of Spain. The name of this sweet treat is thought to have been derived from the Catalan word torrar, which in turn comes from the Latin torrere, meaning charring or roasting, an apparent reference to the use of roasted nuts.
VARIATIONS OF Turrón
This Greek variety of the ubiquitous soft nougat is traditionally prepared with a light meringue base that is enriched with honey, sugar, and almonds. Though it is mainly associated with Ionian islands such as Corfu, Zakynthos, or Kefalonia, this sweet treat is readily available throughout the country.
It is believed that the tradition of preparing mandolato stems from Italian cuisine since the Ionian islands were once under Venetian rule. Nowadays, Greek nougat is available in different varieties that are often flavored with different ingredients, and are occasionally placed between two thin wafers.
Italian nougat is traditionally made with toasted almonds, but today it is also available studded with walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, or even pistachios. Though nougat is believed to have been brought to Italy during the Arab rule, the name torrone stems from the Latin word torrere, which means charring, referring to roasted nuts.
Torrone has a soft, chewy texture that varies from soft to firm, and it is commonly sold wrapped in flavorless edible wafer paper which keeps the pieces from sticking to one another. Although this artisan confection is most closely associated with Christmas, it can be found throughout Italy all year round.
MOST ICONIC Torrone
View more
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Along with honey, sugar, glucose syrup, and egg whites, the other main ingredient in torrone di nocciole is the local Piedmontese hazelnut. Cities in the region have their local version of torrone di nocciole, most noted of which are torrone Asti and torrone d'Alba e delle Langhe.
It was invented in the 19th century by the confectioner Giuseppe Sebaste — because they were cheaper and accessible, he opted for local Langhe hazelnuts instead of the more typical almonds. Torrone di nocciole was initially a Christmas treat only, but nowadays, one can enjoy them every day of the year.
Mandulat or bademovac is a traditional dessert from Dalmatia, similar to Italian torrone and Turkish halva. This no-bake cake is made with honey and almonds, a combination resulting in an incredibly sweet and caloric treat that can be consumed as a dessert or as a healthy snack.
MOST ICONIC Mandulat
Belonging to the large Italian torrone family, mandorlato di Cologna Veneta is the torrone type prepared exclusively with almonds and not other kinds of nuts. Other main ingredients, as in the case of most types of torrone, are egg whites, honey, and wafer paper.
However, mandorlato di Cologne Veneta can also have cinnamon, sugar, and candied citrus fruits as ingredients. It has a hard and brittle texture and usually comes in the form of long bars. First mentions date from the 16th century, while 1852 marks the start of industrial mandorlato di Cologna Veneta production.
Coppetta or cupeta is a traditional dessert from Valtellina. It is a type of nougat made with a mixture of honey, and nuts that is tucked between two wafer sheets. The nougat is made with a mix of chopped walnuts, crushed cookies, and honey. The combination is slowly cooked until it thickens and is then spread onto thin wafers.
Coppetta is a soft and chewy nougat that is usually cut into smaller rectangle-shaped pieces. It is a festive dessert traditionally prepared and enjoyed on special occasions and religious holidays. It is now mostly sold as a sweet souvenir.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Torrone di Guardiagrele is a variety of crunchy torrone, similar to brittle. It hails from Guardiagrele, where it is still sold at pastry shops. This nougat is firm, crunchy, dark, and sweet. The base is made with almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and candied fruit.
The almonds are toasted before other ingredients are added. When the base is caramelized and still warm, it is spread on a flat surface and allowed to chill. It is then cut into small rectangle-shaped portions. This nougat is usually associated with Christmas, and it is traditionally paired with fortified wine.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “14 Nougat Varieties Ranked From the Best To the Worst” list until March 27, 2025, 627,384 ratings were recorded, of which 404,417 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.