L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano J ust like panettone, torrone is a clas- s i c o f I t a l y a t C h r i s t m a s , t h a t you'll find in every household. But while panet- tone is almost a synonym of Milan, torrone is more ubiq- uitous, even if many associ- ates it especially with Cre- mona. As we shall soon see, however, the Lombardy town is far from being the only place in the country making traditional, delicious nougat. But let's begin, as always, with some history. The word "torrone" comes from the Latin verb, torrere, to toast or roast, which leads directly to the main ingredi- e n t o f i t , t o a s t e d n u t s . Traditionally, hazelnuts are used, but almonds are also popular, and pistachios, wal- nuts, and even peanuts make often an appearance. Besides nuts, torrone is made with sugar, honey, and egg whites, and it's covered by a thin layer of ostia, wafer, on either the top or bottom. According to Titus Livius and Martial, the ancient Romans would enjoy a sim- ilar delicacy to our nougat, called cupedia or cupeto, which is the same noun used for torrone in the Irpinia region of Campania, where the product is incredibly pop- ular. But this is no coinci- d e n c e , a s i t s e e m s t h e Romans inherited the recipe for their cupedia from the Samnites, who inhabited C a m p a n i a i n p r e - R o m a n times. This theory greatly dif- fers from the most popular one, which sees torrone as a R e n a i s s a n c e p r o d u c t o f Cremona, but is an attesta- tion to the presence of nougat across the country, with a variety of different and con- flicting versions for its ori- gins, that developed in bona fide culinary rivalries. Just to add one more theory to those already mentioned, some believe torrone was brought to Italy by Arabs through S i c i l y , a n d t h a t , b e f o r e b e c o m i n g p o p u l a r h e r e , Spaniards had already dis- covered this oriental delicacy (also thanks to the Arabs, of course). So, according to this version, torrone is not even an Italian invention, and the people of Spain discovered it before us. W h e t h e r w e w a n t t o believe we invented it or the Arabs gave it to us, torrone today is a typical delicacy in many parts of our beautiful paese, and a great number of varieties exist. In Calabria, the Torrone di Bagnara IGP is the most famous. It is produced in a s m a l l t o w n n e a r R e g g i o Calabria, combining two clas- sical Calabrese ingredients, honey and almonds, with sugar. Apparently, it was first produced by the monks of the Bagnara Abbey, perhaps in the 18th century, but its mass production didn't begin until the mid-19th century. This torrone is made with nuts toasted in a special way and it's usually covered in sugar or in a mixture of sugar a n d c o c o a p o w d e r . Incidentally, this is the only t o r r o n e h o l d i n g a n I G P denomination, which was awarded in 2014. The city of Benevento, in Campania, has a long-last- ing torrone tradition. Here, torrone, as we mentioned, is called cupedia, and its recipe is strictly associated with that used by our ancestors, who cooked egg white, almonds and honey in a bain-marie. Apparently, the Bourbons of Naples loved cupedia, the p r o d u c t i o n o f w h i c h increased, therefore, in the 17th and 18th centuries. In later times, new varieties of cupedia, such as those cov- ered in chocolate, coffee, or royal icing were developed. C u b b a i t a i s a s w e e t C h r i s t m a s c o n f e c t i o n a r y made in Sicily with honey and sesame seeds. Its name likely comes from the Arabic qubbiat, which is still used in Sicilian dialect as a synonym f o r n o u g a t . I n A b r u z z o , Guardiagrele (province of Chieti) is home to the epony- mous nougat, also known as aelion nougat because local lore says the town was found- ed by the Ancient Greeks. It i s m a d e w i t h r o a s t e d almonds, sugar, and candied fruit, with the addition of cin- namon. Abruzzo's capital, L'Aquila, is also known for its soft, chocolate nougat, the torrone tenero al cioccolato Aquilano, made with hazel- nuts, cocoa, honey, and vanil- la. Now, if you are in this beautiful region and have a sweet tooth, you must stop in Sulmona, the world capital of "confetti," or sugar-coated almond candy. You may be happy to know, though, that Sulmona is also popular for its nougat, made with at least 3 0 % o f h a z e l n u t s , c o c o a , sugar, egg whites, vanillin, honey, and wafer: it is char- acterized by a spongy texture and a dark brown color. Not many may know that S a r d i n i a , a m o n g m a n y other things, is also famous for its nougat, produced espe- cially in the Barbagia village of Tonara. It is likely the tra- d i t i o n o f n o u g a t - m a k i n g c a m e t o t h e i s l a n d f r o m Spain, more precisely from Alicante, which was once con- trolled by the Arabs. Tonara nougat, which is based on the triad honey, egg white and almonds, is so delicious that e v e n N o b e l P r i c e G r a z i a Deledda wrote about it, back at the end of the 19th centu- ry, in one of her novels. L a s t , b u t n o t c e r t a i n l y least, we find the torrone di Cremona. Perhaps the most famous around the world, its r e c i p e d a t e s b a c k t o t h e R e n a i s s a n c e . C r e m o n a n o u g a t i s m a d e w i t h almonds, honey, egg whites, a n d s u g a r a n d i s a l w a y s crunchy: if it's soft, it isn't from Cremona. In fact, its crunchiness is legendary, with some early 20th century s o u r c e s s a y i n g i t s h o u l d break "as if it were glass." Torrone di Cremona has the same ingredients as other types of torrone around Italy, but its secret is all in how t h e y a r e d o s e d : 5 0 % o f almonds, 40% of honey, and 10% between egg whites and sugar. W h i c h e v e r v a r i e t y y o u choose, torrone is always delicious: nutty and sweet, covered in chocolate or just as it is, it is traditional and genuine, and has all the taste of Christmas and tradition. CHIARA D'ALESSIO From North to South, torrone is the sweetest treat at Christmas Delicious torrone made with almonds (Photo: Quanthem/Dreamstime) LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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