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Spanish
Turron
by
Gayle Hartley
 Turrón
is the most well known of Spanish sweets and although it
can be enjoyed any time of year, it is particularly famous
for its traditional appearance at Christmas time. Spanish
children get excited when the first turrón of the
season is brought home as it is a signal that Christmas
is fast approaching.
The
origin of turrón is said to go back over five hundred
years when the first example of this gorgeous sweet was
first created by the Moors in the small town of Jijona,
north of Alicante. Jijona and turrón still go hand
in hand today, the town is famous for its production and
it is home to the turrón museum where the most famous
and expensive brand of turrón, 1880 can be
found.
Jijona
and Alicante turrón are the most well known types
of turrón, named after the location where they were
created. Turrón de Alicante is the hard, nougat type,
so full of almonds that it would crumble if any more were
squeezed in. Turrón de Jijona, sometimes called
the original turrón is soft and sticky, a bit like
fudge.
The
most important ingredients of turrón are honey and
almonds and only the finest local examples of both, which
are found in abundance in the region of Alicante, go into
the very best turrón.
Apart
from the Alicante and Jijona turrón, whose recipes
have remained unchanged for generations, there are many
variations and types. A fairly new but extremely popular
type of turrón is the yema tostada where ground
almonds and egg yolks are mixed together and toasted to
perfection for a soft and sweet treat. There is also the
turrón de chocolate which can come in various
types ranging from extrafino to popular depending
on the percentage of cocoa inside.
Whatever
the type of turrón you prefer, the quality is an
important factor. The best turrón available is the
supreme quality. Producers must abide by strict rules in
order to be allowed to label their turrón as supremo,
there must be at least 64% of almonds present in the hard
Alicante turrón and 60% contained in the soft Jijona
turrón.
The
perfect way to enjoy turrón is to serve up a selection
of samples of each after dinner with a coffee or liqueur.
As a treat for the children, crumble a generous amount over
soft vanilla ice cream. The Spanish also love having little
tasters of the different types of turrón with a glass
of cava for a very festive aperitif. It truly is one of
Spain's sweet delights to be enjoyed by all whatever the
occasion or time of year.
Written
by Gayle Hartley
©
Copyright 2008 Orce Serrano Hams - www.orceserranohams.com
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