Turrón is the Spanish almond nougat traditionally eaten at Christmas. The confection is made in many forms, but classic versions combine almonds with honey, sugar, and egg white.
Spanish turrón is strongly linked with the Christmas and New Year season, when bars of the sweet appear in homes and shops throughout Spain. Two famous traditional styles are turrón de Alicante, or turrón duro, made with whole almonds in a firm nougat, and turrón de Jijona, or turrón blando, made with finely ground almonds for a soft, crumbly texture. Both styles are associated with the town of Jijona, also called Xixona, in Alicante.
Turrón is sometimes confused with mazapán, another almond-based Spanish sweet, but the two have different textures and preparations. Polvorón is a crumbly shortbread-like confection, while roscón is a ring-shaped festive bread. Recipes for Spanish turrón were recorded by the 16th century, although the sweet may reflect older Mediterranean and Islamic culinary traditions. The name is related to the Latin word torrere, meaning “to toast.”