Turron Traditional Spanish Christmas Candy
Now’s a fantastic time to sample one of the truly iconic confections of Spanish cuisine: turrón. If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting these,, it’s high time you tried them. Fortunately, when you stay with us at a Hoposa hotel or vacation rental here on the island, you’ve got the perfect opportunity to do so!
The Flavor of History
Turrón’s a venerable candy, to say the least: It’s at least five centuries old, when it was introduced to the Spanish town of Jijona by the Moors. In its basic, time-tested form, it’s a nougat magically conjured from a deliciously simple blend of almonds, egg whites, and honey, originally whipped up by the bees tending the flowery hillsides above Jijona. And you can still taste the sweet in its centuries-old goodness all across Spain as well as Mallorca, as a pair of beloved traditional versions, Turrón Alicante and Turrón Jijona, are widely available.
How Do You Like Your Turrón: Hard or Soft?
Turrón Alicante, or “hard turrón,” incorporates whole almonds and thus has a crunchy texture; Turrón Jijona, or (you guessed it) “soft turrón,” is smoother on account its almonds are ground. People sometimes compare the textures of the two to peanut brittle and peanut butter, respectively. Well, take it from us: Both are basically to die for.
The Consejo Regulador IGP y Turrón de Alicante is responsible for turrón quality control: “Supreme” (Suprema) turrón must be at least 60% almond (for Jijona) or 64% (for Alicante). Then you’ve got “Extra,” “Standard,” and “Popular” designations rounding out the spectrum.
And we’d be totally remiss not noting that modern-day turrón can come in a wide variety of creative twists, with everything from fruit to chocolate added to the mix.
Turrón: Mallorcan Style
Given Mallorca’s mighty spread of almond orchards, it’s no surprise that turrón of all varieties is easy to come by—around Christmas, for sure, but at other times of year, too. Needless to say, it’s pretty special to sink your teeth into such an esteemed nougat made from top-quality local Mallorcan almonds.
So why not come and do just that with us on a Hoposa vacation to the biggest of the Balearic Islands, where a major part of the Christmastime taste on the tongue is turrón!
