Turron from Spain

Christmas in Spain is a time of different traditions from England or America, and one of the traditions most loved by Spaniards at Christmas time is the joy of eating Turron after dinner.

Turron, which is pronounced Too-Rron, is bought and sliced into cubes and served on plates along with coffee or brandy, and typically given as a gift when visiting friends and family. In Ronda most supermarkets sell dozens of varieties of Turron, though the best quality Turron can be bought from the Campinas store in Plaza Socorro.

It is also served at end of year Christmas parties, at any December fiesta such as the first puente (long weekend) of the month when Constitution Day and then the Feast of the Immaculate Conception are celebrated, or when friends and family come to visit after the Paseo to admire Ronda’s Christmas lights.

Turron can be similar to nougat, though typically quite hard and chewy like toffee, so is quite different from the French variety.

The two historic varieties of Turron are Turron Blando (soft) and Turron Duro (hard), and also originate in different towns, blando coming from Jijona in the Alicante province, whilst Duro emanates from Alicante city. Manufacturers in these two cities are allowed to use the official European “Denominacion de Origin” seal on their products.

Eating Turron is an experience, and certainly Turron Blando is quite different from anything served in English speaking nations, though if you’re familiar with Turkish or Greek Halva you’ll have some idea of what it is like.

Typically Turron Blando is a caramel colour, and supplied in blocks around 2cm thick. It is quite greasy and has a strong almond flavour, and has been likened to eating solid peanut butter, and shouldn’t be confused with other marzipan based treats that are also available during the Christmas holidays.

Moorish settlers in Spain brought their original recipe for Turron from North Africa and the Middle East, though the two traditional Spanish varieties are largely a homegrown recipe, blando being a favourite delicacy of the Emirs of Córdoba during the time of Al-Andalus, whilst the Duro variety seems to have found more favour amongst the merchant classes in later Grenadine years.

Historically Turron was made only with honey, almonds, and egg white, though in the 18th and 19th centuries the variety of ingredients increased dramatically, and now chocolate, coconut, jellies, tropical fruits and other confectionary can be added and will still be sold as Turron.

Making turron at home is possible, though the recipe for Turron Blando is very involved. Here’s a recipe you can try at home to make your own Turron Blando;

Turron Blando Recipe

250 grams caster sugar
250 grams white honey
500 grams toasted almonds
5 egg whites

Chop the almonds and then grind them in a mortar until a thick paste is formed, mix with the sugar using a wooden spoon, then add the honey and simmer over a low heat, adding the egg white only when the almonds, sugar, and honey have mixed.

Continue to stir on a low heat for another ten minutes or until the mixture browns and thickens. Then pour into a flat tray lined with wax paper. Place another sheet of wax paper over the top and gently roll out until the mixture is evenly flat. Allow to cool, then cut into slices. This Turron Blando recipe will remain fresh for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Tomato Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a traditional cold tomato soup eaten in the summer months in Andalucia, and has a long history of providing sustenance to workers during the long hot summer days. During the winter months a warm version of Gazpacho is also made.

The origins of Gazpacho are mysterious, and like most things have never documented, what writing does exist is filled with inaccuracies, however general consensus is that pre-Roman Andalucians were making something akin to Gazpacho in Phoenician (and Carthiginian) times, although to really confuse matters, so were pre-Roman Italian peninsula peoples. In fact, a cold meal of stale bread, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and water is common in the bread eating cultures surrounding the Mediterranean, the concept is even alluded to in the Old Testament book of Ruth (2.14) “’Come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.”

The Moorish invaders of Spain quickly adopted the idea of a cold soup during the hot summer days for themselves, and then refined and perfected the recipe to suit their palate better, an example being the white Gazpacho made with garlic and either cucumber or asparagus.

We shouldn’t be surprised then if the history of Gazpacho is filled with wonderful stories, but traditional Andalucian Gazpacho as served in Ronda is a comparatively new recipe created after the first tomatoes and peppers were introduced to Spain by traders from the Americas.

Gazpacho Ingredients
• 1 kg of seasoned ripe tomatoes
• 2 whole cucumber
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 tablespoons of vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 green peppers
• 1 loaf of bread crumbed (about 250 grams)
• salt
• 1.5 litres of water

Gazpacho Preparation

Traditional bread in Andalucia is baked in small loaves about half the size of a modern loaf of bread, so about 250 grams of bread crumbs is the right quantity. Soak them in some water, not too much, just enough to cover them, then let it sit until all the water has been soaked up.

Blend the tomatoes, one of the cucumbers, the onion, the garlic, and one of the green peppers and add the breadcrumbs until a consistent mix has been created.

Next, add half the water, the oil, the vinegar and season with salt and continue to blend for a moment. Place the completed mixture into a large bowl or jug and allow to stand for a few hours.

Serve in small bowls or large drinking glasses with the remaining cucumber and green pepper chopped on a side plate.

Jamie Oliver Gazpacho Recipe

Renowned British chef Jamie Oliver was in Ronda in 2009 filming his TV show ‘Jamie does … Andalucía’, in fact he loved the traditional Ronda recipe, though in Spain gazpacho is a summer dish eaten cold, and most Rondeños would nver eat gazpacho in the cooler months or in winter.

Jamie has another recipe for gazpacho which he mentions in one of his books uses a chicken or vegetable stock base instead of tomatoes, and is a modern twist on gazpacho that changes the soup completely. He caramelizes garlic and onion for the flavour, and adds almonds and oranges to his modern recipe, and the taste is delicious.

Rondeños like to argue about food, and we doubt Jamie will ever convince them to call his modern recipe an authentic gazpacho, certainly while Jamie was in Ronda he delighted in trying the traditional gazpacho recipe, but this recipe is always better when it’s made at home with your own special touches to add a unique flavour. The base recipe for gazpacho is always the same, but no two chefs will ever create the same soup.

Image courtesy of Fred Shively