Authentic Torrone Recipe Italy, Europe

This recipe for torrone was adapted from accademiabarilla.com, and gives directions on how to make a variety of torrone flavored with vanilla and tangerine zest as it is done in the region of Molise in South-Eastern Italy.

The torrone variety from the region of Piedmont uses hazelnuts instead of almonds. This practice was established in 1895 when a famous pastry chef Giuseppe Sebaste decided to try making torrone with Piedmotese hazelnuts – simply because they were more affordable and available. This version of torrone, adapted from langheoero.it, is characteristic of the Piedmontese city of Alba and uses hazelnuts from the Langhe area. Due to prolonged cooking time, this recipe will result in a firm, brittle torrone.

Adapted from accademiaitalianadellacucina.it, this recipe shows the process of making torrone in Sardinia, an Italian island, and namesake region. The torrone mixture uses a special type of honey millefiori, which translates as “a honey of a thousand flowers”, and can additionally be flavored with vanilla or grated lemon zest.

The torrone made in the western Italian region of Abruzzo differs from other varieties by its soft, chewy texture and the fact that it is made with chocolate. The most famous Abruzzese torrone comes from the city of L’Aquila, and this recipe was adapted from portaleabruzzo.com.

A popular torrone variety from the Southern-Italian region Calabria carries a name which is a bit misleading. Although gelato does mean ice-cream in Italian, the torrone gelato in fact only resembles ice cream due to its rich inside marbled with chopped nuts and candied fruit and covered in a layer of dark chocolate. The recipe was adapted from artedelpresepio.it.

Also known as torrone dei morti (torrone of the dead), this version of torrone from Southern-Italian region of Campania was traditionally prepared on the 1st of November to celebrate the All Saints Day and to honor the deceased. Instead with honey and egg whites, this modern torrone variety is made with chocolate and Nutella. This recipe, adapted from viaggiaincampania.it, suggests making the torrone with hazelnuts, which can easily be replaced with almonds and pistachio.

A mixture of dried fruit and nuts captured inside a soft, chewy amalgam of sugar, honey, glucose syrup, and egg whites – this, in a nutshell, is the torrone from the region of Tuscany, more precisely, from the city of Prato. This recipe was adapted from visittuscany.com and shows how to make this Italian sweet in a short time frame.

Another example of soft torrone or torrone morbido comes from the region of Marche, and the most famous variety is produced in the city of Camerino. Originally, the Camerino torrone did not include egg whites, so this recipe – adapted from marcheinfesta.com after the instructions from master pastry maker Paolo Atilli – allows one to determine their quantity to taste. When it comes to natural flavors, master Atilli suggests coconut and emphasizes that it is crucial to make the torrone manually and – very quickly.

The region of Veneto calls their variety of torrone mandorlato, indicating that the almonds are the main ingredient. This recipe, adapted from accademiaitalianadellacucina.it, suggests flavoring the mandorlato with ground cinnamon, and letting it rest for a while before serving.

This torrone variety is popular in the eastern part of Sicily and the Calabria region. The almonds are replaced with sesame seeds, and the torrone is flavored with orange zest, as suggested in this recipe adapted from rossanoturismo.it.

This recipe was adapted from esplorasicilia.com, and shows the Sicilian way of making torrone with almonds, honey, and pistachios. The Sicilians call this type of torrone cubbaita, which is derived from the word herebbiat which means almond.

This variety of torrone comes from the Sicilian province of Caltanisetta. Locally produced almonds, pistachios, and honey are the base of this recipe, adapted from dolcisiciliani.net, and the Caltanisetta torrone is featured on the Italian national list of traditional agricultural food products.

Adapted from lapasticciona.it, this recipe shows how to make a variety of torrone called minnulata from the Sicilian city of Palermo. The ingredients are basic – almonds, sugar, and lemon juice, without any egg whites.

This version of torrone is characteristic of the Piedmontese city of Alba and uses hazelnuts from the Langhe area. Due to prolonged cooking time, this recipe will result in a firm, brittle torrone. The recipe is courtesy of the Association Famija Albèisa, which is dedicated to the preservation of the traditions of the city of Alba.

The following recipe for soft Cremonese torrone is adjusted for at-home preparation. The recipe suggests using either almonds or hazelnuts and flavoring the torrone with vanilla sugar and lemon zest. The recipe was adapted from www.in-lombardia.it, the official tourist website of Lombardy.

The following recipe shows how to incorporate torrone into a simple dessert made with eggs, sugar, chocolate, and mascarpone cheese. Although no cooking is required, keep in mind that this dessert needs to be kept in a freezer for 2 hours before serving. The recipe is adapted from the website of Strada del Gusto Cremonese, which is an association in the province of Cremona that gathers over 90 members, such as restauranters, agriturismos (farm stays), governing bodies, associations, and private companies, and is dedicated to the promotion of tourism, in particular food and wine tourism. 

The following recipe is for an enriched mandorlato di Cologna Veneta, which also has cinnamon and candied citrus as ingredients, in addition to the traditional honey, almonds, egg whites, and wafer paper. The recipe is adapted from academiaitalianadellacucina.it.

This version of mandorlato comes from Verona, another city in the Veneto region. Unlike the case with the more traditional recipe, here, the mandorlato is coated with powdered sugar instead of wafer paper.