Turrón with a twist

Anyone who has ever spent Christmas in Spain will know that the Spaniards' go-to sweet treat at this time of year is turrón - a confection typically made with honey, sugar and egg whites, mixed with toasted almonds or other nuts.

Turrón comes in a variety of consistencies and appearances, and the final product may be either hard and crunchy, or soft and chewy. Thirty years ago, almost all turrón recipes followed the same specifications, but these days there are dozens of varieties: chocolate with puffed rice or whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts; fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with fructose or artificial sweeteners) and all are available in every supermarket up and down the country.

Traditional Spanish turrón is usually classified as either:

Hard (the Alicante variety): A compact block of whole almonds in a brittle mass of eggs, honey and sugar; 60% almonds. Often known as 'crystal turrón'.

Soft (the Jijona or Xixona variety): The almonds are reduced to a paste. The addition of oil makes the matrix more chewy and sticky; 64% almonds.

Every year, different varieties of turrón are launched. Many derive from commercial hook-ups with big brand confectionery companies and are often aimed at the children's market, like turrón with popular Oreo biscuits or Chips Ahoy cookies incorporated into it.

This week however, in a departure towards a more exclusive market, the Hijos de Manuel Picó brand based in Xixona (Alicante) used the local traditional Christmas market to launch the first ever turrón made using saffron with Denomination of Origin from La Mancha in central Spain.

In a press statement, company director, Manuel López Espí, explained that they had created the gourmet 'crystal' turrón using exclusive saffron honey (traditional turrón uses orange blossom honey) giving it an appearance not dissimilar to caramel.

He said the "unique taste of saffron" could be appreciated in the turrón (pictured above) and that " the overall colour achieved is very similar too".

Espí confirmed an initial production run of some 200kg of the new, speciality turrón which is on sale at the Xixona Christmas market and in the company's shop in Albacete. "We really hope it is well received", he added.

The Hijos de Manuel Picó brand dates back to 1770 so the company will be celebrating its 250th anniversary next year. "We love to innovate and our aim is to make turrón less of a seasonal product." He underlined the firm's "pioneering" spirit, mentioning their invention of "spreadable turrón" as well as "turrón made with tiger nuts or oranges".

In such a competitive market López Espí underlined the importance of "striving for the best in product quality, packaging and innovation".

"We are trying to de-seasonalise turrón and make it part of the Mediterranean diet all year round; saffron has always played an important role in Mediterraean gastronomy and we are well aware of its properties", he explained.

And saffron is not the only traditional Mediterranean ingredient being incorporated into the country's turrón. Perhaps two of the most avant-garde varieties to creep onto the shelves this year are turrón with dark chocolate and either Iberian ham or wild mushrooms «boletus edulis».

The turrón-making tradition still being kept alive by the La Alberca brand in Salamanca has been going for over five centuries. Production began thanks to the honey-collecting prowess of the converso jews in the region and it is still evolving today with the latest trend-setting flavours being developed by renowned chef, Mari Luz Lorenzo.

"It's a turrón that should appeal to you because of the name alone, and if you don't like Iberian ham, then obviously it's not going to be for you", explained the flavour's creator. She created and gave out a few samples that were so "well received" by visitors that she decided to start selling it in her shop in La Aberca, a village in the picturesque Sierra de Francia mountain range.

"There is no emulsion in the mouth between the sweetness of the chocolate and the savoury notes of the ham," she explained, "but rather a separation of the flavours". And this, according to the chef, is the triumph on the palate as "those who try it get the taste chocolate on one side and the excellence of the ham on the other".

As well as the Iberian ham turrón, the company has also launched a turrón combining chocolate with wild, indigenous "boletus edulis" mushrooms.

"In contrast to the Iberian ham turrón," López explained, "people who taste this turrón do experience a very agreeable emulsion of the chocolate flavour with the flavour of the wild mushrooms on their palate".

The La Alberca brand has always been known across Spain for staying faithful to the traditional, handcrafted production methods based on just honey, almonds and egg white. Although production has been modernised over the years, it remains broadly faithful to the tradition established in the area over 500 years ago and passed down orally from generation to generation.

The Arabs were the first to make 'albercano' turrón, using the widespread availability of honey in the Sierra de Francia region, just south of Salamanca, where beekeeping has been popular for many hundreds of years.

All the turrón makers that still operate in the village agree that it is imperative to use holm oak honey for its distinctive flavour. In the mid 20th century, every house in La Alberca had a turrón maker (turronera) who spent hours and hours mixing honey and egg whites over an open fire until she achieved the right consistency of paste to mix with the almonds or nuts. Once made, it was the husband's job to go from village to village throughout Salamanca, northern Cáceres, the Sierra de Gredos and even into Portugal to sell the finished product.

Although production methods might have evolved over the years, and new flavours may come and go, it is clear that the Christmas tradition of giving and enjoying turrón is here to stay wherever you are in Spain.