The flavors, textures and aromas of these Christmas sweets are unmistakable and have their guaranteed presence in Spanish homes on these dates.
Many countries in the world have their typical Christmas sweets.
In Spain, the most traditional Christmas sweets are nougat in all its varieties, mantecado, polvorón, marzipan and the emblematic roscón de reyes, among others.
The Nougat
The nougat, or nougat in English, is one of the Christmas sweets that cannot be missing on Christmas Eve
Nougat is a sweet dough obtained by cooking honey (or sugars ) to which peeled and toasted almonds are added . Egg white can be added to this mass to emulsify.
It is traditionally given the final shape of a rectangular tablet or cake .
There are two classic varieties:
- Hard Nougat or Alicante Nougat : Consisting of a mass of honey, sugar, egg white and whole almonds.
- Soft Turrón or Jijona Turrón : Consisting of a ground mass of honey, sugar, egg white and almonds.
In addition to these two varieties, there are very different flavors such as chocolate, toasted egg yolk, truffle,…
“El Mantecado”
Mantecado is a typical sweet of Spanish confectionery , characterized by being kneaded with lard and consumed at any time of the year, especially at Christmas .
In Cuba , Spain , the Philippines , Mexico , and Venezuela , a flavor of ice cream is known as mantecado .
Polvoron
The polvorón is a small cake , made of flour, butter and sugar, baked in a strong oven and that crumbles into dust when eaten.
At present it is a typical product of Christmas confectionery in Spain and in many Spanish-speaking places .
It is called a shortbread because when you add the flour it seems that there is dust on top of the sweet.
The marzipan
Marzipan is a sweet whose main ingredients are almonds , sugar and egg.
In Spain it is a traditional Christmas dessert.
The Roscón de Reyes
The Roscón de Reyes is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated Christmas sweets
The Roscón de Reyes is a bun made with a round-shaped sweet dough with a hole in the middle, garnished with slices of candied fruit of various colors.
The dough with which it is usually made is flavored with orange blossom water , which gives it a characteristic aroma.
It can be filled with whipped cream or cream, currently also with mocha, truffle or chocolate.
Surprises are introduced inside, usually ceramic or plastic figurines, which diners come to find in some portion.
Another characteristic is that a dry bean is also inserted inside the roscón, and it is tradition that whoever finds the bean pays for the roscón.
It is served on January 6 , which is Three Kings Day .
Other Christmas sweets
In addition to these sweets, there are the neulas , the sugared almonds , the roscos de vino , the alfajores ,…
Nougat Christmas advertisement in Spain
Advertisement for El Almendro nougat.
Ad Song Lyrics:
Come back home come back
come back to your home
That today is Christmas Eve,
live happiness.
come back home come back
at Christmas.”
More information and references:
- Wikipedia.org -Nougat. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org (English) -Nougat. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org – Shortbread. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org – Polvoron. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org (English)-Polvorón. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org -Marzipan. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org -Rosco de vino. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org -Roscón de Reyes. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org -Neula. Available. [Here]
- Wikipedia.org (English) -Neula. Available. [Here]
- Wikipedia.org -Damaged almond. Available [Here]
- Wikipedia.org -Alfajor. Available [Here]
- Flickr.com -Move the Mustache. Polvorones San Enrique | Victoria metal case. Original image available [Here]
- Flickr.com -Jonathan Pincas. Spanish Turron on Wooden Surface. Original image available [Here]
- Flickr.com -Tnarik Innael. Cinnamon shortbread. Original image available [Here]
- Flickr.com -Josh Friedman. Polvorones. Original image available [Here]
- Flickr.com -Juan Fernandez. marzipans. Original image available [Here]
- Flickr.com -Move the Mustache. Original image available [Here]
- Youtube.com -Tv Songs. Announcement Come home for Christmas – The almond tree 2014 ). Available [ Here ]
