torrone (turrón)

This nougat confection is known by similar names in different languages. In Spanish it is turrón (Spanish: [tuˈron]), in Catalan torró (Catalan: [tuˈro]), in Valencian torró (Valencian: [toˈro]), in Italian torrone (Italian: [torˈroːne]), in Portuguese torrão (Portuguese: [tuˈʁɐ̃w]), and in Brazilian Portuguese torrone (Portuguese: [toˈʁoni]). In Sardinian it is called turrone (Sardinian: [tuˈrɔnɛ]) and in Tagalog turon (Tagalog: [tuˈɾon]).

The 16th-century Manual de Mujeres (Women's handbook), a handbook of recipes for cosmetics and some foodstuffs, has what is probably the oldest existing Spanish turrón recipe. It calls for honey and some egg whites, cooked until it becomes breakable once cooled. Once the honey is caramelized the recipe suggests adding pine nuts, almonds or hazelnuts, peeled and roasted. The mix is then cooked a bit further, and finally removed from the heat and cut into slices.

Turrón itself can take on a variety of consistencies and appearances, however, they traditionally consisted of the same ingredients; the final product may be either hard and crunchy, or soft and chewy. Thirty years ago almost all turrón recipes followed the same specifications, but since the diversification of products there are currently dozens of varieties: chocolate with puffed rice or whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts; fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with fructose or artificial sweeteners).

Spanish turrón
Traditional Spanish turrón may be classified as:

Hard / duro (the Alicante or Alacant variety, named after the city of Alacant): a compact block of whole almonds in a mass of eggs, honey and sugar; 60% almonds. Depending on the thickness, one may find it difficult to break pieces of turrón duro as it is so rigid.
Soft / blando (the Jijona or Xixona variety, named after the city of Xixona): the almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix bond better; 64% almonds. Turrón blando has a much more mushy and crumbly consistency.
This variation in ingredients and resulting dryness reflects a continuum that exists also in amaretti (almond-flavored) cookies, from a meringue to a macaroon.
Other varieties include torró d'Agramunt from near Lleida, torró de Xerta from near Tortosa and torró de Casinos.
The Canary Islands have their own distinctive turrón tradition, incorporating local ingredients such as gofio (toasted Canarian flour), honey, and bananas. In December 2025, the municipality of Santiago del Teide in Tenerife achieved a Guinness World Record for creating the world's longest turrón, measuring 1,151.15 metres in length and utilizing over 1,280…