Recipe for Sardinian torrone nougat

Sardinian torrone nougat is a characteristic dessert from various area of Sardinia (Campidano, Barbagia, Logudoro). Recipes are little different too from place to place. Some require the adding of tastes such as citrus fruits or spices. But the standard is the using of simple and natural ingredients, the softness and the amber color of the product (which in that is different from the Cremona torrone nougat, white and hard). There is no sugar in the Sardinian torrone nougat, element which gives hardness and whiteness to the classic Christmas Italian sweet of uncertain Arabic origins. The sweetness of it comes directly from his main ingredient: honey.

Ingredients for the Sardinian torrone nougat prepearing:

• Honey 500 gr
• Hazelnuts 300 gr
• Almonds 200 gr
• 2 egg whites
• Wafer

It is better to start preparing the final container of the nougat. Take a baking pan not too deep and cover it of baking paper. Put the wafer on the bottom of it.

1. Roast the hazelnuts and the almonds shelled and peeled.
2. Grind the hazelnuts
3. Bake up the honey in bain-marie until it will be fluid
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff and blend with the honey keep on mixing with a wooden spoon
5. Pour the grinded hazelnuts and mix again.
6. Pour the mix in the baking pan and spread well on the surface
7. Cover with the wafer and leave it to cool

This is the basic recipe for the Sardinian torrone nougat. You can add to it pine kernels, orange or lemmon rind or a little of vanilla, without moving away from the traditional way of doing it.

But, if you want to taste the real nougat of Sardinia the way it is made by the skills of Sardinian candymaker, don’t miss to come visit Sardinia on your next holidays and to look for the original Sardinian torrone nougat in the right places: Tonara, Pattada and Sinnai.