National Nougat Day Date in the current year: March 26, 2024

Nougat is an umbrella term for confections that are made with roasted nuts, honey or sugar, and often egg whites. The confection is believed to have originated in the Middle East. It was brought to Europe during the Arab conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The word nougat comes from the Occitan expression that means “nut cake” or “nut bread”. The confection is known as gaz in Iran, turrón in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, and torrone in Italy.

Nougat is a popular Christmas treat in many European countries as well as countries that used to be Spanish or Portuguese colonies, but it can be eaten all the year round. It is often served as special occasions such as Easter dinners, weddings, birthday parties, and other celebrations. In Britain, nougat is often sold at fairs and seaside resorts.

There are two basic types of nougat: white and brown. White nougat, also known as Persian nougat, is made with whipped egg whites. It tends to be soft and chewy, although the Alicante variety of turrón is hard despite containing egg whites. Brown nougat is made without egg whites. Because of this, it has a firmer and often crunchy texture.

A less common variant of nougat, known as Wiener nougat, Viennese nougat or German nougat, is made with cocoa instead of egg whites. In Germany and the Nordic countries, German nougat is traditionally referred to as simply nougat, whereas white nougat is labeled as French nougat.

Nougat can be made with different types of nuts; almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pistachios, and walnuts are the most common. It may also contain chopped candied fruit and various flavorings such as vanilla, citrus zest, rose water, orange blossom water, anise, ground cinnamon, coconut, etc. Commercially produced nougat may contain milk powder or other milk ingredients, but traditional nougat contains only eggs, sugar or honey, and nuts.

Nougat can be used as an ingredient in various candy bars such as 3 Musketeers, Baby Ruth, Double Decker, Milky Way, Reese’s Fast Break, Snickers, and Zero Bar. This variation of nougat is different from traditional recipes. It is made by aerating corn syrup and sucrose with a whipping agent such as gelatin, hydrolyzed soy protein or egg whites. When used in candy bars, nougat is typically combined with caramel, chocolate, or nuts.

The origins of National Nougat Day are unclear, but we firmly believe that you don’t necessarily have to know the origins of the holiday to celebrate the deliciousness that is nougat. This amazing food day is a perfect excuse to indulge in sweets without feeling guilty.

There are many ways to celebrate National Nougat Day. You can go to a candy shop and try different kinds of nougat, enjoy a candy bar with nougat, try making nougat at home (it is not as hard as you might think), or even plan a visit to the Torrone Festival in Spain. And don’t forget to post about the holiday on social media with the hashtags #NationalNougatDay and #NougatDay to spread the word.