Presented in bars or squares, eaten as a dessert or snack, appreciated for its crunchy yet tender texture, this sweet associated with the town of Montélimar was not born in the Drôme. The first traces of its recipe appear in Turkey, and even today, the popular delicacy is found in various European and North African countries (and even as far away as China!).
While it may seem a typical Mediterranean product today, this mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites, honey and broken or ground nuts is thought to have originated in Turkey. In the 10th century, an Arabic book from Baghdad mentions a recipe from Harran, a town in southern Turkey. In the following centuries, traces of nougat - under different names and with slightly varying compositions - can be found in Morocco, Malta, Algeria, Greece, Iran and Egypt. In the 16th century, it was mainly in Andalusia and Italy that this historic confection was popular, with Nostradamus going so far as to attribute its paternity to Italians.
In France, the 1st appearance of "noga", an Occitan name derived from the word "noix" (nuts), is attested in 1595 in a book... on pharmacy! As almond trees were particularly cultivated in Provence at the time, it was in this region and Languedoc that most nougat was made. Since the 17th century, nougat has been one of the 13 desserts served at the Provencal Christmas table.
A direct descendant of Arab, Catalan and Italian nougats, the recipe, which originated in the 2nd town of the Drôme, dates back to 1701. By refining the composition and defining the proportions of ingredients to be respected, this Montilian version has given its letters of nobility to the world-renowned sweet.
The composition of a Montélimar nougat:
The nougat maker can flavour his nougat base with chocolate if he wishes, but the plain version of this product, which has crossed centuries and continents, remains the most popular with young and old alike. In Montélimar, those alike can discover the Palais des Bonbons, du Nougat et des Souvenirs museum, where you can buy good local products and, above all, (re)immerse yourself in the world of childhood and sweet treats.
Valérie from Comme des Français
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