We always support the underdog at National Today and this time on National Nougat Day on March 26, we are cheering for this often-overlooked candy. Whether you like your sweets soft, smooth, crunchy, fluffy, or a combination of all those, the iconic nougat has got your back, fam. The classic dessert is made with whipped egg whites, sweet honey, and roasted nuts.
- 1st Century – The Romans invent nougat as a way of honoring their gods and enriching their cultural heritage.
- 1500s – Nougat starts gaining popularity as different people from different cultures start incorporating it into their food items.
- 1851 – A nougat making machine is displayed at the Great Exhibition in London for all to see.
- 1932 – The 3 Musketeers chocolate bar becomes one of the first major commercial brands to have nougat inside it.
- 1939 – During WW2, nougat was also rationed among soldiers to give them a morale boost.
- Illusionary effects and magical journeys are part of nougat’s history. While today it is enjoyed all over the world with each region adding its unique flavors to it, there are many disputes as to where exactly it originated from.
- The original purpose of putting nougat inside a chocolate bar was to create an illusionary ice-cream effect.
- The word ‘nougat’ originates from the French dialect Occitan and it means ‘nut bread’ or ‘nut cake,’ which is interesting because it does not have any key ingredients that make a bread except for eggs, and that too only egg whites.
- Egg whites are 90% water and 10% protein, and this is a drastic difference in nutrition as compared to yolks that are full of cholesterol.
- Egg whites contain about 54 g of potassium, which is an essential electrolyte for your neuron-, bone-, and cell functioning, egg whites are the ultimate energy health bombs.
- Many candy bars on the market are made with nougat. Some of them include:
- Charleston Chew
- Mars bar
- Snickers
- Milky Way
- Three Musketeers
- Baby Ruth
- Zero Bars
- There are as many nougat flavors as there are coffee syrups at your local coffee shop. Try these flavors:
- A bit of a luxury, historically nougat was reserved for serving at special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, weddings, or other celebrations.
- Nougat is an aerated confection.
- The nougat that appears in many candy bars around the world differs from traditional recipes, consisting of sucrose and corn syrup aerated with a whipping agent such as egg white, hydrolyzed soya protein or gelatine and may include vegetable fats and milk powder.
- There are three main types of nougat: white nougat, brown nougat and Viennese or German nougat.
- White nougat is made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts are common) and whipped egg whites.
- Brown nougat is made with caramelized sugar (and honey), mixed with nuts and/or other flavourings. It is made without egg whites and has a firmer, often crunchy texture.
- Viennese or German nougat is essentially a chocolate and nut (usually hazelnut) praline.
- Turrón or torrone is a type of white nougat and is typical to southern European. It is frequently consumed as a traditional Christmas dessert in Spain and Italy
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