Mary Ann's Blog
Torrone…The Christmas Treat for December 6, Feast of Saint Nicholas
December 6, 2024
Torrone is the go-to sweet treat of Christmas for Italians. It is always found at street fairs and sold by the piece. Don’t think of it as candy though because this egg white, sugar and nut nougat confection is much more than that. Torrone was introduced into Sicily by the Arabs, who also brought sugar cane, spices and citrus for which Sicily is famous. Add to that the exceptional honey, creamy almonds and vibrant green pistachio nuts from the town of Bronte and you have the makings of something that was once reserved for the royals of Italy. Sicilian torrone is white with lots of nuts, flavored with lemon or orange and is soft in comparison to the other types of torrone made in northern Italy, which tend to have a harder consistency.
When I was a kid, I always received a couple of those fancy little blue boxes in my stocking on December 6thfor the feast of Saint Nicholas. The tradition continued into the Christmas holidays and when they were over, leftover torrone found its way into many desserts.
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