Sweet. Sticky. Sometimes a tooth-breaker, sometimes a cloud.
If you’ve ever bitten into a Snickers bar or unwrapped a piece of golden-foiled Torrone during the holidays, you’ve eaten it. But honestly, most people have no clue what they're actually chewing on. When someone asks what is a nougat, they usually expect a simple answer like "it's just whipped sugar."
It’s way more complicated than that.
Nougat is an ancient aeration feat. It is a confectionary bridge between a meringue and a caramel. At its most basic, it’s a mixture of sugar or honey and whipped egg whites, usually studded with toasted nuts or dried fruit. But that definition is like saying a Ferrari is just "a car with wheels." Depending on where you are in the world—Montélimar, Cremona, or the candy aisle of a gas station—nougat can be a vastly different experience.
The Three Main Families of Nougat
You can't just group all nougat together. That’s a rookie mistake.
First, you have the White Nougat (nougat blanc or torrone). This is the classic. It’s made with beaten egg whites and honey. It originated in the Middle East, likely as nāṭif, before it migrated to Europe via trade routes. If you go to France, specifically Montélimar, they have strict laws about this. To be called "Nougat de Montélimar," it must contain at least 30% nuts (almonds or pistachios) and 25% honey.
Then there is Brown Nougat (nougat noir). This one is the aggressive cousin. It’s made without egg whites. It’s essentially just caramelized sugar and honey cooked until it’s dark and brittle, then loaded with nuts. It’s crunchy. It’s intense. In Provence, it’s one of the "Thirteen Desserts" served at Christmas. It’s the kind of candy that makes you worry about your dental insurance, but you eat it anyway because the deep, smoky honey flavor is addictive.
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Finally, there’s the Viennese or German Nougat. This is where things get confusing. In Germany and much of Northern Europe, if you ask for "Nugat," they might hand you a block of hazelnut chocolate. It’s basically a solid form of Praliné or Gianduja. It’s soft, creamy, and contains no egg whites. It’s delicious, but it’s a totally different species from the aerated honey stuff.
How the Magic Happens (The Science of Bubbles)
Making nougat is a workout for your mixer and your nerves.
It starts with a syrup. You boil honey and sugar. The temperature is everything. If you don't get the syrup hot enough, the nougat will be a puddle. If you go too high, it becomes a rock. You’re aiming for that "hard ball" or "soft crack" stage, usually between 250°F and 300°F.
While that syrup is bubbling away like lava, you whip egg whites. You want stiff peaks. Then comes the "the stream." You slowly pour the molten sugar into the whites while the mixer is screaming. This is a process called aeration. The sugar stabilizes the air bubbles in the egg whites, creating a foam that eventually sets into a solid.
Harold McGee, the legend of food science, explains in On Food and Cooking that the high concentration of sugar prevents the egg proteins from collapsing. It’s a structural masterpiece. After the whipping, you fold in the nuts. Pistachios for color. Almonds for crunch.
Why the Nougat in Your Candy Bar Feels Different
Let’s be real. The "nougat" in a Milky Way or a 3 Musketeers isn’t the same as the stuff you buy in a boutique in Italy.
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Mass-produced candy bars use what the industry calls "industrial nougat." Instead of expensive honey and long whipping times, they use corn syrup and soy protein or gelatin as the aerating agent. They also add vegetable fats (like palm oil) and often malted milk powder.
This is why it's so soft. It’s designed to be cheap, shelf-stable, and easy to bite through. Traditional Torrone or Nougat de Montélimar can be quite firm, requiring a bit of "jaw work." The industrial version is basically a flavored marshmallow foam. It serves a purpose, but calling it "true" nougat is a bit like calling a processed cheese slice "aged cheddar."
A Global Tour of Stickiness
Every culture took the basic idea of "sugar + nuts" and ran in a different direction.
- Italy (Torrone): Legend has it that Torrone was created in 1441 for a royal wedding in Cremona. The name supposedly comes from the Torrazzo, the city's bell tower, which the candy was shaped to resemble. Italian versions are often flavored with vanilla or citrus zest.
- Spain (Turrón): They have two main types. Turrón de Alicante is the hard, white version. Turrón de Jijona is a soft version where the almonds are ground into a paste, making it buttery and rich.
- Middle East (Gaz): This is the Persian ancestor. Traditionally, it used the sap of the Ghaz-angebin plant (a type of tamarisk) instead of honey. It’s incredibly floral, often heavy on the rosewater and pistachios.
- Taiwan: They make a "milk nougat" that has become a massive souvenir item. It uses milk powder and is often less sweet, with a distinct dairy-forward flavor profile.
The Common Misconception: Is it just a Marshmallow?
Sorta, but not really.
Marshmallows are aerated with gelatin. Nougat is traditionally aerated with egg whites. This changes the texture completely. Marshmallows are "rubbery" and bouncy. Nougat is "short" or "chewy." When you bite a marshmallow, it springs back. When you bite a piece of white nougat, it holds the tooth mark.
Also, the fat content. Traditional white nougat has very little fat other than what comes from the nuts. Marshmallows have almost zero fat. The Viennese "chocolate" nougat, on the other hand, is almost entirely fat from the hazelnuts and cocoa butter.
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Tips for the Brave: Making it at Home
If you're going to try making it, buy a candy thermometer. Don't eyeball it.
Humidity is your enemy. If it’s a rainy day, just don't do it. The sugar will pull moisture from the air, and your nougat will stay sticky forever, never truly setting. You’ll end up with a delicious mess that you have to eat with a spoon.
Also, use edible rice paper (wafer paper). This is the thin, tasteless white paper you often see on the top and bottom of nougat blocks. It’s not there for flavor. It’s there so you can actually handle the stuff without your fingers becoming permanently fused to the candy.
Why We Still Eat This Stuff
In an era of high-tech molecular gastronomy, nougat feels like a relic. It's labor-intensive. It's picky. It's messy.
But there’s something about the combination of floral honey, toasted nuts, and that specific chewy-yet-melting texture that resonates. It’s a luxury that has survived for over a thousand years. Whether it’s a $20 box of Sicilian Torrone or a 99-cent candy bar, the fundamental appeal of aerated sugar is universal.
Actionable Steps for the Nougat Curious
- Taste the difference: Buy one bar of traditional Italian Torrone and one American candy bar that lists "nougat" as an ingredient. Eat them side-by-side. You will immediately understand the difference between egg-white aeration and soy-protein aeration.
- Check the labels: Look for "Honey" as one of the first three ingredients. If the first ingredient is "Corn Syrup," you’re eating the modern imitation.
- Storage hack: Never put traditional nougat in the fridge. The humidity will ruin the texture. Keep it in a cool, dry pantry in an airtight container. If it gets too hard, a few seconds (literally 5 seconds) in the microwave can soften it up, but be careful—it turns into molten lava quickly.
- Wine Pairing: If you’re eating high-end white nougat with almonds, pair it with a Moscato d'Asti or a Vin Santo. The acidity cuts through the sugar, and the nuttiness of the wine complements the toasted almonds.