Nougat: what it is, what gianduja is and how to make hazelnut nougat at home

What is nougat

Nougat is a confectionery mass made from sugar or honey and roasted nuts — most often hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios. The word comes from the Occitan pan nogat, meaning ‘nut bread’.

But one word hides two completely different sweets — and that’s exactly why there’s so much debate about ‘real nougat’.

Two nougats: hazelnut and white

So which one is the real one? Both — each in its own country. Historically, white nougat is the older: the first mention of Italian torrone dates from 1441 in Cremona, where it was served at the wedding of Francesco Sforza. In Montélimar in France, the first nougat factory opened at the end of the 18th century.

But when Czechs say ‘real nougat’, they usually mean hazelnut nougat with a high share of nuts — not the kind where sugar and vegetable fat play the main role.

What is gianduja

Gianduja (pronounced jan-DOO-ya) is Italian hazelnut nougat: a blend of chocolate and finely ground hazelnuts from Piedmont, usually around 30% hazelnuts. It is in fact the direct ancestor of what Czechs call nougat.

According to tradition, gianduja was born in Turin at the beginning of the 19th century, when Napoleon’s Continental Blockade made cocoa more expensive. Turin’s chocolatiers started ‘stretching’ it with hazelnuts, which Piedmont had in plenty — and discovered that the result tasted even better than chocolate on its own.

It was named after Gianduja, a jolly Turin carnival character from the commedia dell’arte. In 1865 the Turin company Caffarel began making it into small pralines shaped like an upturned boat — gianduiotti — which are still made there today.

And one more thing everyone knows: Nutella is essentially a spreadable gianduja.

Recipe: homemade hazelnut nougat

For a tin of approx. 15 × 15 cm

• 200 g hazelnuts
• 80 g icing sugar
• 150 g milk or dark chocolate
• a pinch of salt

1. 1

   Roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 160 °C for about 10–12 minutes, until they smell fragrant and their skins start to crack.

2. 2

   Skin them. While they’re still warm, wrap them in a tea towel and rub — most of the skins will come off.

3. 3

   Grind them into a paste. Blend them in a powerful blender for several minutes. At first they’ll be like flour, then they’ll release their oil and turn into a smooth, thick paste. Don’t rush — this is the whole secret.

4. 4

   Add the sugar and salt and keep blending until the sugar has completely dissolved and the paste is smooth.

5. 5

   Stir in the melted chocolate — melted in a bain-marie, to no more than 45 °C.

6. 6

   Pour into the tin lined with baking paper and leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

7. 7

   Cut into pieces with a sharp knife dipped in hot water.

Variations:

• Almond nougat — use almonds instead of hazelnuts; the method is the same.
• Peanut nougat — the quickest version: mix melted chocolate with peanut butter roughly 1:1 and leave it to set. Done in five minutes.
• White nougat with pistachios — use white chocolate instead of milk, and pistachios instead of hazelnuts.

How to make nougat cream

The same nut paste as in the recipe above, just with less chocolate and a spoonful of oil or milk, so that it stays spreadable. Keep it in a sealed jar at room temperature — in the fridge it will set hard.

How to store nougat

Hazelnut nougat keeps for several weeks somewhere cool and dry, ideally at 15–18 °C. In the fridge it hardens and a white bloom may appear on it. Protect white nougat made with honey from moisture, otherwise it turns sticky.

Frequently asked questions