Differences between artisan nougat and industrial nougat

Anyone who has ever tasted a nougat from artisan hands can perfectly recognize the difference in taste between artisan and industrial nougat. The distinction is so clear that if industrial nougat has a place in the market it is because of its price, and there are always colors to suit all tastes.

But if we leave aside the taste of artisan nougat, something totally absurd when what it is really about is to enjoy this delicacy, and try to get the objective reasons for the differences between artisan nougat and industrial nougat, we will find many compelling reasons that will also make us opt for artisan nougat without any doubt.

Nutritional differences between artisan and industrial nougats

The nougat comes from the times of Al-Andalus. The Arabs used to introduce nuts and honey in their cuisine, as they are abundant in the Mediterranean area.

Of course, in those years all the elaboration was handmade and, little by little, it has been progressing and improving until reaching the type of elaborations of today. Nowadays we can find all kinds of nougat in the market, with varieties and flavors that surpass our imagination. But the truth is that the classic nougat is still the protagonist of all Christmas tables; it is of these varieties that we are going to talk about: the soft and hard almond nougat.

The main nutritional difference between these two types of nougat is based on the quality of the ingredients and the manufacturing process.

The traditional recipe for soft and hard nougat should not contain any ingredients other than almonds, sugar or honey and egg white.

In industrial processes, the quality of these ingredients is lower in order to reduce costs.

Therefore, we find other more economical options for large-scale production, such as lower quality almonds, fewer nuts, glucose syrup instead of sugar and thickeners such as refined flours, to give more consistency. In other varieties of nougat, such as flavored nougat, flavorings, emulsifiers and extra sugar are also added.

In our artisan process we use quality almonds of the marcona variety, rosemary honey, which gives a different touch to our nougats, and egg whites; with no other artificial additives.

This means that artisan nougat, in addition to an increase in flavor, has healthier nutritional properties, since it contains less sugar and unsaturated fats, avoiding trans fats and palm oil.

Different nougat elaboration processes

It is clear that, in industrial production, the “love in the elaboration” is given by the industrial machinery; while, in the artisan elaboration, the good hand of the master turron maker is needed , who is the one who gives the special touch to the flavor of the nougat.

It is not enough to have good quality products, but in our case, we have kept the same recipe since the 19th century, and the same production process as back then.

We toast the almonds to give it a special touch, and we never use less than 60% almonds in the recipe.

After cooking the honey with the other ingredients, the dough must be able to move rhythmically until a compact dough is created, and then it is transferred to the molds.

Everything is done with great care because every detail matters in the process; a mistake can ruin the flavor we want to achieve in each of our nougats, that is why it is done on a small scale. This is the secret that makes us have long lines in front of our store, and that the tradition of shopping at Casa Mira is inherited from parents to children.

Prices may be higher than in industrial production but, since you are going to consume a centuries-old delicacy with a few extra calories, you should really savor the taste of an authentic artisan nougat.