Turrons & Christmas Confections

TURRON

Turrón (nougat) and marzipan are two symbols totally inseparable from Christmas for Spaniards. At the end of every feast blocks of turrón alongside blocks of assorted marzipan and polvorones (powdery cakes) are presented in elegant trays served with cava.

The original cradle of turrón and marzipan production was in the province of Alicante, (South-East Spain) in the famous town of Jijona.

The Moors introduced sugar cane to Spain in the year 711 and the marcona almonds flourished in the ideal dry microclimate of Jijona, located a few miles inland from the port of Alicante, protected by mountains and a canyon. This is where production of the two original types of turrón began:

alicante (hard turrón) and jijona (soft turrón).

A huge assortment of varieties have emerged from the classic duo:

• tortas imperiales,
  turron de chocolate (almond chocolate turron),
  garrapinadas (roast sugared almonds),
  peladillas, pinones, almendras rellenas
  (almond shaped wafers filled with soft turron),
  chocolate crujiente (chocolate turron with crispy rice),
  chocolate con cointreau…to name but a few.

MARZIPAN

The marzipan from Jijona is made with peeled marcona almonds, which are ground and mixed with sugar. To this base various ingredients are added to produce the traditional varieties: candied fruit (to make fruit marzipan); walnuts (to make walnut marzipan); egg yolk and toasted sugar (in the case of Catalan yema quemada marzipan) and lemon (nieve marzipan).

Other marzipans are arranged in rings or small cakes with egg yolk or sweet potato filling (cascas de yema, cascas de batata) or made into Christmas figures, figuritas.

MANTECADOS AND POLVORONES FROM SEVILLA

The town of Estepa in Sevilla each year produces a marvellous variety of delicate little powdery cakes: “mantecados”, “polvorones”, “roscos de vino”, “alfajores”, guindas marrasquino (marrasquino liqueur soaked cherries coated in chocolate), pastelitos de almendra (moist almond cakes). The cakes come individually wrapped in a great variety of flavours – almond, vanilla, cinnamon, aniseed, some topped with sesame seeds, others with icing sugar.

Try our assortment boxes available at Christmas.