Nougat - Sarcasm Wiki

Contents

1. Overview
2. Etymology
3. Cultural Impact

You want an article? Fine. Don’t expect me to enjoy it.

Confection

This isn’t about some operating system update, despite what the naive might think. This is about nougat , a substance that occupies a rather peculiar space in the grand tapestry of sweets.

Artisanal Nougat

Look at this. Artisanal nougat from Le Garric , France. It’s a testament to the fact that some things are still made with a semblance of care, though I suspect the people making it are just as jaded as I am.

Type: Confection

Main Ingredients: The specifics vary, as they often do when humans get involved.

Western & Southern European: This is where the traditionalists reside. They use whipped egg white , honey and/or sugar , and a generous scattering of nuts . It’s a classic combination, not groundbreaking, but reliable.
Central & Northern European: A more… robust approach. Here, you’ll find gianduja , which is essentially cocoa pulverized with hazelnut . Less ethereal, more grounded.
American: Ah, the pragmatists. They lean on corn syrup or sucrose , a whipping agent to give it some semblance of structure, vegetable fats for that industrial sheen, milk powder for a certain bland familiarity, and, of course, preservatives to ensure it outlives us all.

Variations: The world, in its infinite, tiresome diversity, has birthed many forms:

Montélimar nougat (France) – A name that sounds far more elegant than the confection itself.
turrón (Spain) – Apparently, it’s a staple.
torrone and mandorlato (Italy) – More variations on a theme.
Viennese nougat (Central & Northern Europe) – Sounds like it might have some actual flavor.
gaz (Iran) – I’m told this one has a rather unique ingredient.

Food Energy: 398 kcal (1,670 kJ) per 100g. Enough to fuel a mild existential crisis.

The Substance of Nougat

Nougat , at its core, is a family of confections . It’s a sweet paste , whipped into submission until it achieves either a chewy or a crunchy consistency . [1] It’s not exactly rocket science, but it requires a certain… dedication to mediocrity.

The classic, the one you’d find in Western and Southern Europe , is born from a mousse of whipped egg white , sweetened by the predictable duo of sugar or honey . Into this airy foundation, they toss nuts and/or candied fruit for a bit of texture and flavor. The result is a paste, allowed to solidify before being carved into portions. These confections trace their lineage back to Middle Eastern cookbooks from the Middle Ages , though it was the 19th-century French Montélimar nougat that truly cemented its place. Naturally, Iranian cuisine also boasts its own iterations.

Then you have the United States version. This is the industrial stuff, the brown paste that lurks within commercial candy bars , usually alongside milk chocolate , caramel , and the ubiquitous peanuts . In Central and Northern Europe , “nougat” also refers to this brown paste, devoid of egg whites, eaten on its own. It’s typically crunchy, though a softer cousin, Viennese nougat , exists.

Naming Conventions

The word “English ” nougat arrived in the early 19th century, a direct import from the French “nougat.” The pronunciation, /n u ɡ a , is a bit of a mouthful, approximated in English as /ˈnuːɡɑː/ (NOO-gah). Some, in their infinite linguistic laziness, have adopted pronunciations like /ˈnʌɡɪt/ (NUH-git) or /ˈnuːɡət/ (NOO-gət).

The French term itself is a descendant of the Old Occitan “nogat,” meaning “nutty” or “made with nuts.” Before that, similar words in medieval Catalan and Castilian referred to nutty sauces. It’s all rather circular, isn’t it?

Occasionally, English speakers will resort to local names. Think of the Spanish turrón or the Italian torrone and mandorlato . These names, interestingly, derive from the Latin “torrere,” meaning “to roast.” The Venetian “mandorlato,” also known as “mandulat” in Croatia , “mantoláto” in Greece , and “mandolate” in Brazil, gets its name from a less refined Latin term for “almond.” And then there’s the Maltese “qubbajt” and Sicilian “cobbàita” and “cupeta,” which hail from Arabic “qubbayṭ.” The Persians, in their unique way, have gaz , flavored with the honeydew of a specific insect, which they’ve traditionally, and inaccurately, attributed to tree sap. It’s a whole linguistic smorgasbord.

A Taste of History

The claim that nougat appears in ancient Roman texts like those of Varro , Livy , or Martial is, frankly, a stretch. The Latin terms they used were far more generic, encompassing a wide range of sweet and savory treats. While it’s plausible that similar confections existed, the direct lineage is murky. Cato did describe a dish of eggs, honey, flour , and cheese. The Apicius compilation offers some vague “recipes” for nut custards that might be construed as early nougat. The instructions to “spread it out on a pan and when cool cut it into handy pieces like small cookies” are particularly telling.

More concrete evidence emerges from a 10th-century cookbook from Baghdad . There, a confection called “nāṭif” is described, derived from an Arabic root meaning “to dribble” or “trickle,” a fitting description for its viscous nature. [14] Recipes from Baghdad and Harran speak of this “nāṭif,” and it’s mentioned by travelers as far afield as Manbij and Bukhara . The related Halva was around even earlier in Persia. The Iranian gaz , however, with its distinctive honeydew flavoring and rosewater , is only documented from the late 16th century. The Europeans, it seems, were less inclined to add spices and floral notes to their versions.

There’s a romantic, likely fabricated, tale about Italian nougat originating at the wedding feast of Francesco Sforza and Bianca Maria Visconti in Cremona in 1441. More plausibly, Gerard of Cremona might have referenced an Arabic nougat in the 12th century. Forms of nougat were certainly being produced in southern Italy and across the Venetian Empire by the early modern period. Another theory links its introduction to Frederick II and his interactions with Sicilian Arabs .

In Spain , nougat appears in texts from the 15th century, notably in Enrique de Villena ’s “Arte Cisoria.” By the 16th century, it was featuring in the novels of Miguel de Cervantes . It reached Provence in southern France in the 17th century, though its appearance in Marseille might predate that. The Montélimar nougat gained significant renown across Europe in the 19th century, particularly after being showcased at the 1878 Universal Exposition in Paris . Its promotion was significantly aided by Émile Loubet, the mayor of Montélimar, who later ascended to the highest offices in France .

Meanwhile, the addition of pulverized flavorings led to the development of darker nougats, often using cocoa powder . The early 19th century, with its blockades and embargoes, forced chocolatiers near Turin to experiment. Michele Prochet’s successful use of finely ground roasted hazelnuts in 1852 led to Caffarel ’s gianduiotto . This hazelnut-chocolate blend became a staple in Central and Northern Europe .

The American version, the kind found in candy bars , was more of an accident. In the early 20th century, the Pendergast Candy Company in Minneapolis , Minnesota , produced a dark nougat. One batch, made with an excessive amount of eggs, resulted in a much airier confection. They used it for a candy bar called “Fat Emma,” but it was Frank & Forrest Mars who truly capitalized on this “Minneapolis” or “Minnesota nougat” for their highly successful 1923 Milky Way bar. [23] [24]

Variations on a Theme

White Nougat

This is the more traditional European style. Crafted from a mousse of whipped egg white and sweetened with sugar or honey , it’s enhanced with various nuts like almonds , pistachios , macadamias , hazelnuts , and walnuts , and sometimes chunks of candied fruit . The paste hardens and is then cut into portions. These are often made artisanally by “nougat makers,” or nougatiers. Some are encased in edible wafer paper for easier handling, though this can subtly alter the taste.

The quintessential French example is Montélimar nougat , featuring lavender honey, roasted nuts, vanilla , and unleavened bread . It even has protected status now, apparently. [25]

Spanish turrón is also built on whipped egg whites, honey, and roasted almonds, but comes in two main forms: soft ( blando ), known as Jijona or turrón de Jijona, with over 60% almonds and a mushy texture thanks to added oil; and hard ( duro ), or Alicante turrón de Alicante, which is exceptionally firm. Jijona nougat also enjoys protected status.

Italian torrone is similar, using whipped egg whites, sugar, honey, and roasted almonds, often with vanilla or citrus, and typically includes edible rice paper . The Venetian version, mandorlato , is generally firmer, with the variety from Cologna Veneta being particularly prized. [28] Both Spanish and Italian nougats are integral to their respective Christmas meals . [29] In Malta, local nougat appears at village festivals. In Romania , it’s a common sight at fairs, especially before Lent .

In Britain , nougat tends to follow the southern European style, a common fixture at fairgrounds and seaside resorts . The mass-produced version is often pink and white, the pink sometimes fruit-flavored, and may contain almonds and cherries .

Interestingly, while French nougat shuns dairy, its adaptation in Taiwan saw the incorporation of milk powder as a primary ingredient, along with sugar, cream, various proteins, nuts, and dried fruits. Similar iterations are now widespread across mainland China .

Brown Nougat

This is where things get decidedly less delicate.

In the United States , nougat is typically a softer, brown paste produced industrially. It’s made from corn syrup or sucrose , aerated with agents like hydrolyzed soy protein or gelatine . Vegetable fats , milk powder , and preservatives are added to enhance its properties. This is the nougat that forms the chewy core of countless candy bars , often paired with milk chocolate , caramel , and peanuts . Think Baby Ruth , Snickers , and the like. [31] Sometimes, this nougat is the star, as in the exceptionally airy “fluffy nougat” of the 3 Musketeers bar. [32] [33]

In Central and Northern Europe , nougat is frequently made with gianduja , that potent blend of cocoa and hazelnuts . [34] [35] The white variety is often referred to as “French nougat” in these regions. [36] [37] Viennese nougat is a softer iteration, incorporating cocoa mass, butter, sugar, and hazelnuts. It found a particularly fervent following in Finland , becoming a staple Fazer Christmas treat since 1904.