Christmas is just around the corner, and with it comes a Costa Blanca festive favourite, the sweet crunch of turrón.
Traditional sweets are linked to religious calendars. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, major celebrations include special treats. Turrón, the nougat eaten at Christmas, follows this tradition. In Spain and across the Mediterranean, people have long made it with nuts and honey or sugar for special occasions.
Turrón: A sweet history
The origins of turrón are shrouded in stories and theories, some more legend than fact. One popular tale claims it was named after a confectioner called Pere Torró, who allegedly won a pastry competition in 1703 by creating a sweet that could survive a city siege.
Turrón probably began somewhere in the Mediterranean, from Algeciras to Istanbul, where nuts and honey were common. These ingredients provide energy and last long, making them easy to transport. Similar sweets have existed for centuries: Greek athletes ate them, Roman street vendors sold cupedia, 11th-century Córdoba residents enjoyed them, Valencians savoured them during the Renaissance, and 16th-century Sevillian servants sneaked “a pound of Alicante turrón.”
Almonds, honey, and sugar were widely available across the Mediterranean, so many regions developed similar treats. In Sardinia, Tonara turrón uses local honey, almonds, walnuts, and egg whites. Occitans and Aragonese enjoy nougat and guirlache influenced by Provence. In Turkey, halwa made with sesame paste, sugar, butter, and nuts resembles these confections. Food historian Francisco Abad Alegría notes that cuisines never evolve in isolation; they develop from “general to particular,” which makes turrón’s history especially fascinating.
Why only at Christmas?
Turrón’s main ingredients, almonds, honey or sugar, and eggs, were costly, so it was always a luxury. In imperial Spain under Charles V, turrón appeared in royal treasuries only at Christmas. Nobles received it to show prestige. Philip II asked locals in Alicante to be careful when giving turrón to officials, to avoid rising city costs.
Nuts, mainly almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, are harvested from late August to early autumn. They were dried and used in sweet and savoury dishes. Medieval recipes like manjar blanco used almonds, sugar, and spices introduced by Arab agronomy in Al-Andalus. These flavours influenced European court cuisine as a mark of sophistication. A Caliph once gifted his Scandinavian wife an almond grove in bloom to remind her of snow, showing the cultural importance of these crops.
Sugar cane arrived in Spain in the Levante, from Almuñécar to Valencia, and later reached the Americas via the Canary Islands. By the 17th century, sugar imports from the Americas boosted turrón-making. Confectionery guilds divided production: marzipan-style turrón went to specialist sweet makers, while honey-based types, like Alicante, Jijona, guirlache, and terronico, were mostly made by farmers for extra income.
In winter, when farm work slowed, Alicante locals focused on making turrón and sold it at winter fairs. This tradition continues. In Salamanca, turrón makers in La Alberca sell sweets with honey from the Sierra de Francia at the Plaza Mayor. Until the mid-20th century, turrón reached major Spanish cities in late November, giving families a rare annual treat.
