Turrón de Jijona is the soft almond and honey nougat from the hill town of Xixona, inland from Benidorm, made by grinding toasted almonds with honey into a paste.
Also in: Valencia.
The story of Turrón de Jijona
Xixona, in the hills of Alicante province, makes the two classic Spanish turrones: soft Jijona, ground almonds and honey, and hard Alicante, whole almonds in a brittle. A regulatory council guards their protected geographical indication. For centuries the town lived on ice cream in summer and turrón in winter, and its ice-cream makers travelled to sell; the family behind Helados Sirvent settled in Benidorm in 1954. The Museo del Turrón shows the process beside a working factory.
How to make Turrón de Jijona
Serves: Makes 1 bar, about 12 slices
Ingredients
- 300g blanched Marcona almonds
- 150g honey
- 100g sugar
- 1 egg white
- Edible wafer paper
Method
- Toast the almonds in a 180C oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden, then grind them to a smooth, oily paste.
- Warm the honey and sugar in a heavy pan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches about 120C.
- Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and beat in the hot honey syrup in a thin stream.
- Fold in the almond paste and keep stirring over very low heat for 10 minutes until thick and even.
- Line a small loaf tin with wafer paper, press in the paste and cover with more wafer paper.
- Weigh it down and leave for 24 hours before slicing.
Editor tip. Grinding the almonds long enough to release their oil is what gives Jijona its soft, sliceable texture.
The editor picks for Turrón de Jijona in Benidorm are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Benidorm signature-dishes index or the Benidorm food guide.