Turrón de Alicante

Appearance & taste

Turrón de Alicante is a hard type of turrón. The roasted almonds are set in a mass of caramelised syrup that forms when honey, sugar and egg white are cooked, becomes firm and takes on a white colour – the specification compares it to white jasper. The turrón can also be placed between two wafers.

There are two quality grades: “Calidad Suprema” contains at least 60 % roasted almonds, “Calidad Extra” at least 46 %; both contain at least 10 % pure honey. The proportions refer to the finished product after cooking. It is sold in portions, bars, tablets, round slices or blocks. Each pack states the quality grade and bears a guarantee label of the regulatory board.

Production

The main ingredients are roasted sweet almonds, pure honey and egg white in any commercial form. Sugar, water, wafers as a covering and cinnamon as a stick, ground or as an essence are also permitted.

A turrón journeyman or master (turronero) supervises production. First the almonds are roasted. Sugar, honey and egg white are stirred over high heat until they caramelise. The almonds are kneaded into this caramel until they are evenly distributed. The mass cools, is shaped and cut as a block. The cut pieces must be packaged very soon so that their characteristics are preserved; packaging and labelling take place in the area. In retail, however, turrón may also be delivered as a block and only cut in front of the customer at the point of sale. This “sale by the piece” is common in the province of Alicante, especially at Christmas time.

Origin & history

According to the specification, the link with the area is based above all on the reputation of the product. It is closely associated with Jijona, which is regarded in Spain as the “cradle of turrón”. The town lies 25 km from the port of the provincial capital Alicante, through which the products were shipped around the world.

The area has almond groves, beehives in the surrounding mountains with rosemary, lavender and thyme, and sugar cane growing (canyamel). Turrón was created from the region’s almonds and honey. According to the specification, records show that turrón has been made in Jijona for over 500 years. One of the oldest is a manuscript from the archive of the General Council of Valencia from 1484: in it, Jaume Doménech is to make fifteen pounds each of “torrons d’alegria” (black turrón) and “torrons blancs” (Turrón de Alicante). The knowledge of the turrón masters is passed on from generation to generation.