About Nougat
Nougat • Pronounced "noo-gah"
Does nougat take its route in Ancient Greece, the roman empire or the Arabian peninsula? A question that is still open for debate with many countries claiming to be at the origin of nougat.
For me though, the nougat I know and love comes from Montélimar, and very much the source of my inspiration.
Nougat was introduced in the south of France in the 18th century in Marseille and Montélimar where egg whites were introduced to the recipes to create soft white nougat and this is now the traditional way to make nougat.
Soft nougat is made from a blend of cooked honey, hot sugar syrup and beaten egg whites to form a base to which dry nuts are added.
The texture of nougat may vary from soft to hard depending on the temperature of the cooked sugar and the humidity levels.
The higher the temperature, the harder the nougat.
High humidity hastens the breakdown of sugar as it cools. Once the candy has cooled to the point where it can no longer evaporate moisture, it can actually begin to reabsorb moisture. This produces a softer product than may be desirable and a constant battle for me here in Auckland!
Modern day artisan nougatiers, myself included, are having fun creating recipes to introduce new ingredients in addition to tree nuts.
Indeed candied orange peels or other dried fruits such as apricot, cherry, raisins and new flavours created with lemon, ginger, chocolate or even pretzel as in one of my creations can bring the nougat to next level.
As for the dark nougat, it is hard in texture with a high percentage of honey and dry fruits - traditionally almonds - and does not contain any egg.
How to spot a good quality nougat?
With numerous recipes of soft nougat in the world, how can you recognise a good quality nougat?
I like to think of it a little like you would wine.
A wine connoisseur will see, swirl, smell, sip, and savour.
Well, for nougat, it’s a bit the same.
You need to look at your nougat and consider its look, its smell, its taste, and the degustation experience.
Ask yourself…
What is the texture like, is it airy or dense, do I like its colour, do I like the balance of nougat and fruits?
A good quality nougat should not melt in the mouth straight away. Instead, it should entice you to chew and therefore enabling the development of flavours in your mouth, allowing you to appreciate the combination of flavours from the dry fruits and honey and the resulting aroma.
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Is there enough dry fruit?
A good quality nougat will have a high percentage of dry fruit.
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What does it smell like?
You should be able to smell the honey let alone taste it. A good quality nougat will have a good percentage of honey. Lesser quality nougat often do not contain any honey at all.
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Can you taste the sugar, the honey?
A good quality nougat should not let the sugar become nauseating and overpowering, instead you should taste honey and juicy yet crunchy nuts. The choice of honey will have a great impact on the nougat, a little like the grapes used for a specific wine will confer the wine its special quality.
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Can you taste vanilla?
In a good quality nougat, vanilla is a subtle flavour. Often in lower quality nougat, vanilla is overpowering and hides a poor confection.
In conclusion, a good quality nougat relies on the skill of the nougatier who will ensure a balance of ingredients and flavours; the right consistence and texture; the quality of ingredients; the quantity of dry fruit (or other ingredients in more modern combinations) and finally being able to showcase the honey.