A few weeks ago my tutor, Marisa told me about the Spanish Christmas candy called
turrón. I was anxious to try it. The next time I found myself at the store I got to looking for it. I spotted a display and got to looking at all the different kinds. There was white, milk, and dark chocolate. Me being a milk chocolate fan and seeing that it said "Clasico" on it I thought it was the original, classic turrón. Take 1 of turrón!
I was surprised to find that it had rice crispy pieces in it, which I love. Hopefully I will not offend any of my Spanish turrón loving friends, but I thought the chocolate was not a very good quality. I guess I've become a bit of a chocolate snob! Ha! I don't like a lot of American chocolate either. Swiss, Belgian and Germany chocolate for me, please!
After visiting the store a few more times I noticed all kinds of candy called "turrón." In my opinion, it seems they are calling any candy they sell at Christmas "turrón." Ha! Maybe not, but in talking to my tutor again this week I realized that I did not actually buy the original kind. Marisa gave me the name of 2 different kinds to look for "Jijona" and "Alicante." She explained that Alicante is the Arab version and Jijona is the more Spanish version.
Once again I found myself at the store and decided to look for the ones she mentioned and found both. Take 2 of turrón!
I opened them up for a little evening snack and was surprised when I saw the Jijona. It was in a foil pack surrounded by sealed plastic and looked like there was lots of oil inside, hence the plastic seal. Hmmmm, interesting! I cut it open and found it had a similar texture to peanut butter. It was soft, but still thick enough to hold up in a bar shape. It had a good flavor, but I can't say that I just loved it or couldn't stop eating it.
Th Alicante was a hard candy with nuts inside. When I took it out I noticed what looked like a paper wrapper, but it kept coming apart when I would go to pull it off. I then tasted it and found that it dissolved in my mouth and seemed to be an ultra paper thin wafer. Interesting again!
So there you have turrón. So far I'm not a huge fan, but if you are familiar with turrón and have one that you love, please let me know. I will definitely keep trying them to find one I like!
I love your descritions of them. What fun to have so many new things to try!
ReplyDeleteI got an invite to the coffee hosted by the Swedish and Belgian military wives. my husband asked if I was going and I said "absolutely! They'll have Belgian chocolate!!!"
ReplyDeleteYou may or may not have an award on my blog... ;)
ReplyDeleteI have been readin gyour blog for a while now but never commented. My family and I are missionaries in Santiago, Chile and we adopted two chilean children who are now 4.5 and 2 yrs old.
ReplyDeleteWe recently went on a family trip to Mendoza, Argentina just over the border from Chile. We drove which was an experience in itself, BUT my whole point is that many of our Chilean friends asked that we bring them back some "turon con mani". Having nver had it ourselves and having so many (like 6 families) ask for it, we decided to buy some for ourselves. Don;t tell them , but "YUCK!!" It was excessively chewy and tasteless. Even the peanuts lacked a crunch. They all raved about it, but I'm not sure if they were just being nice or what. Regardless, next time we will be bringing back chocolate (which we tried there and LOVED and what they are also known for!)
Anyway, I enjoy your blog and hearing about your experiences in Spain!
HatchersInChile, I just laughed when I read your comment! I'll be sure not to tell! ;) I have to agree that it is tasteless and chewy! I felt comforted that one of my Spanish friends (although she is half French and says she feels more French, but lives in Madrid) does not like it either. I just cannot figure out what the rave is?! Thanks for reading my blog! =)
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