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{{Short description|Confection}}
{{about|the confectionery|the operating system|Android Nougat}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Nougat
| image            = Nougat.jpg
| caption          = Artisinal nougat from [[Le Garric]], France
| place_of_origin  = <!--not Iran or Iraq; see talk page-->
| creator          = 
| course           = 
| type             = [[Confection]]
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = '''Western & Southern European:''' [[Aeration|Whipped]] [[egg white]], [[honey]] and/or [[sugar]], [[nut (fruit)|nuts]] <br> '''Central & Northern European:''' [[gianduja (chocolate)|Gianduja]] ([[cocoa powder|cocoa]] & pulverized [[hazelnut]]) <br> '''American:''' [[Corn syrup]] or [[sucrose]], [[whipping agent]], [[vegetable fat]]s, [[milk powder]], [[preservative]]s
| variations       = [[Montélimar nougat]] (France), [[turrón]] (Spain), [[torrone]] and [[mandorlato]] (Italy), [[Viennese nougat]] (Central & Northern Europe), [[Gaz (candy)|gaz]] (Iran)
| calories         = 398
| other            = 
|serving_size=100}}

'''Nougat'''<!--pronunciations below--> refers to a variety of similar [[confections]] made from a [[sweetness|sweet]] [[food paste|paste]] whipped to a [[chewiness|chewy]] or [[crunchiness|crunchy consistency]].<ref name=fr>{{citation |last=Housman |first=Andrew |contribution-url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/1406848/what-is-nougat-why-candy-filling/ |url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/ |contribution=What Is Nougat and Why Is It in So Much Candy? |title=Food Republic |date=28 September 2023 |publisher=Static Media |location=[[Fishers, Indiana|Fishers]] }}.</ref>

The usual version in [[Western Europe|Western]] and [[Southern Europe]] is made from a [[mousse]] of [[egg white#Foam|whipped egg white]] sweetened with [[sugar]] or [[honey]]. Various [[nut (fruit)|nuts]] and/or pieces of [[candied fruit]] are added to flavor and texture the resulting paste, which is allowed to harden and then cut into pieces for serving.<ref name=dict/> Forms of this confection are first attested in [[Middle East]]ern cookbooks during the [[Middle Ages]], but it was greatly popularized as the [[French cuisine|French]] [[Montélimar nougat]] in the 19th century. Similar confections are staples of regional [[Iranian cuisine]].

In the [[United States]], nougat more often refers to a softer brown paste made in industrial settings, used as a filling in commercial [[candy bar]]s, frequently in combination with [[milk chocolate]], [[caramel]], and [[peanut]]s. In [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Northern Europe]], the name nougat likewise refers to brown paste blended without egg whites, consumed on its own. This brown nougat is usually crunchy, with a softer variant known as [[Viennese nougat]].

{{anchor|Etymology|Terminology}}

==Names==
[[English language|English]] ''{{linktext|nougat}}'' was [[linguistic borrowing|borrowed]] in the early 19th century from [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|{{linktext|nougat|lang=fr}}}}, whose pronunciation {{IPAc-fr|//|n|u|ɡ|a|}} is approximated in English as {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|uː|ɡ|ɑː}} ({{respell|NOO|gah}}).<ref name=dict>{{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/nougat_n |url=https://www.oed.com |contribution=nougat, ''n.'' |title=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Publishing |location=Oxford |date=2024 }}; {{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nougat |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org |contribution=nougat |title=Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] |date=2025 }}; {{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nougat |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com |contribution=nougat |title=Merriam&ndash;Webster Dictionary |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |location=Chicago |date=2025 }}; {{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=nougat |url=https://ahdictionary.com |contribution=nougat |title=American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, ''5th ed.'' |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |date=2022 }}.</ref> The [[spelling pronunciation]]s {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ʌ|ɡ|ɪ|t}} ({{respell|NUH|git}}, cf. ''[[gold nugget|nugget]]'') and {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|uː|ɡ|ə|t}} ({{respell|NOO|gət}}) have also become common in [[British English|British]] and [[American English]] respectively, the latter being the standard American form.<ref name=dict/>

The French name was borrowed in turn from [[Old Occitan]] {{lang|pro|nogat}} ({{IPA|pro|nuˈɣat|}} or {{IPA|pro|nuˈga|}}), meaning "nutty" or "thing with nuts". Cognate words in [[Old Catalan|medieval Catalan]] and [[Old Spanish|Castilian]] referred to nutty sauces before being adapted to reference the confection.<ref name=dict/>

English also occasionally uses local names for specific varieties of nougat, such as {{lang|es|[[turrón]]}} in [[Spain]] and {{lang|it|[[torrone]]}} in [[Italy]] and [[Brazil]]. These names derive from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|[[:wikt:torreo#Latin|torrere]]}} ("to roast"). [[Venice|Venetian]] nougat, known as {{lang|it|[[mandorlato]]}} in [[Cremona]], {{lang|sh|mandulat}} in [[Croatia]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mandulat: Traditional Dessert From Dalmatia |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/mandulat |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=Taste Atlas }}</ref> {{translit|el|mantoláto}} ({{lang|el|{{linktext|μαντολάτο|lang=el}}}}) in [[Greece]], and {{lang|pt|mandolate}} in Brazil, similarly takes its name from [[vulgar Latin|vulgar]] development of Latin {{lang|la|{{linktext|amygdala|lang=la}}}} ("almond"). [[Malta|Maltese]] ({{lang|mt|{{linktext|qubbajt|lang=mt}}}}) and [[Sicily|Sicilian]] ({{lang|scn|cubbàita}} & {{lang|scn|cupeta}}) names<ref>{{Cite web |title=Torrone di Benevento |language=it |url=http://www.sito.regione.campania.it/AGRICOLTURA/tipici/tradizionali/torrone-benevento.htm |work=sito.regione.campania.it |access-date=12 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233309/http://www.sito.regione.campania.it/AGRICOLTURA/tipici/tradizionali/torrone-benevento.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref> for nougat derive from [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{translit|ar|qubbayṭ}} ({{lang|ar|[[:wikt:قبيط#Arabic|قُبَّيْط]]}}). [[Iran]]ian forms—particularly those from the [[Isfahan]] region—are known as [[gaz (candy)|gaz]] ({{langx|fa|گز}}) from its incorporation of [[psyllid]] [[honeydew (secretion)|honeydew]], traditionally misunderstood as [[Astragalus brachycalyx|astragalus]] [[sap]].<ref name=enciran>{{citation |last=Grami |first=B. |author2=M.R. Ghanoonparvar |display-authors=1 |contribution-url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gaz/ |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org |contribution=Gaz (1) |title=Encyclopaedia Iranica |volume=X, Fasc. 4 |pages=[https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gaz/ 348–352] |date=2000 |publisher=Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation |location=New York }}.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Dulcia Piperata (Peppered Honey Cake), Apicius, De Re Coquinaria 7,11,4 (23216361733).jpg|thumb|right|250px|A modern attempt to recreate one of the {{lang|la|[[Apicius]]}} recipes, producing something closer to a [[placenta cake]] than nougat]]
[[File:Gaz Candy From Iran.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Gaz (candy)|Gaz]], Persian nougat from [[Isfahan]], [[Iran]]]]
[[File:Wm. M. Bell's Pilot - Manner of pouring candy into eggs in making nougat.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A vat of extremely hot and dense [[simple syrup]] being added to egg whites to produce nougat paste<ref>{{citation |last=Bell |first=William Murray |title=[[:s:Wm. M. Bell's "pilot"|Wm. M. Bell's "Pilot", An Authoritative Book on the Manufacture of Candies and Ice Creams]] |date=1911 |location=Chicago |publisher=Wm. M. Bell |page=[[:s:Page:Wm. M. Bell's "pilot"; an authoritative book on the manufacture of candies and ice creams (1911).djvu/59|55]] }}</ref>]]
Principally owing to the simplicity of the basic recipe and a similarity between the Latin terms {{lang|la|{{linktext|cuppedo|lang=la}}}} and {{lang|la|{{linktext|cuppedia}}}}, [[dialects of Italian|dialectical Italian]] {{lang|it|cupeto}} and {{lang|it|copeta}}, and the [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] terms {{lang|scn|cubbàita}} and {{lang|scn|cupeta}}, it is sometimes claimed that nougat appears in [[ancient Romans|Roman]] authors such as [[Marcus Terentius Varro|Varro]],<ref name=coochycoochy>{{citation |last=Lanari |first=Massimo |contribution-url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/italian-dishes/the-history-of-torrone-an-italian-christmas-dessert |contribution=The History of Torrone, an Italian Christmas Dessert |date=5 November 2020 |url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com |title=La Cucina Italiana |publisher=Condé Nast SPA |location=Milan }}.</ref> [[Livy]], [[Martial]],<ref name=visit>{{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://www.visitnaples.eu/en/neapolitanity/flavours-of-naples/nougat-an-authentic-irpinian-excellence |contribution=Nougat: An Authentic Irpinian Excellence |url=https://www.visitnaples.eu |title=Visit Naples |publisher=Visit Italy SRL |location=Milan |date=2025 }}.</ref> [[Cicero]], [[Aulus Gellius]], and [[Plautus]],<ref name=flamy/> although the Roman terms as used in those authors were generic words for both sweet and salty delicacies.<ref name=ocss>{{citation |last=Levi |first=Jane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbi6BwAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=2015 |editor-last=Goldstein |editor-first=Darra |display-editors=0 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-931339-6 |contribution=Nougat |contribution-url= }}.</ref> It is, however, probable that somewhat similar confections were known to the [[ancient Greeks|Greeks]] and Romans.<ref name=ocss/> [[Cato the Censor|Cato]] describes a [[ancient Carthage|Carthaginian]] dish made from eggs, honey, [[flour]], and cheese;<ref name=visit/><ref>[[Cato the Censor|Cato]], {{lang|la|De Agricultura}}.</ref> the [[Samnites]] are sometimes credited with an egg, honey, and hazelnut confection;<ref name=coochycoochy/><ref name=visit/> and terse "recipes" in the {{lang|la|[[Apicius]]}}{{mdash}}usually taken as walnut, hazelnut, and [[pine nut]] [[custard]]s<ref name=dom>{{citation |editor-last=Vehling |editor-first=Joseph Dommers |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/29728/29728-h/29728-h.htm |title=Cookery and Dining in Ancient Rome |date=1926 |publisher= |location= |pages=95–6, 103–4, & 173 |contribution=Another Dish Which Can Be Turned Over", "Nut Custard Turn-Over", "Another Sweet", & "Another Sweet }}.</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Aldrete |first=Gregory S. |author2=Alicia Aldrete |display-authors=1 |ref={{harvid|Aldrete & al.|2012}} |date=2012 |page=[https://www.google.lv/books/edition/The_Long_Shadow_of_Antiquity/PpODDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&newbks=0&pg=PA18 18] |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |location=London |title=The Long Shadow of Antiquity: What Have the Greeks and Romans Done for Us? }}.</ref>{{mdash}}may have been kinds of nougat<ref name=coochycoochy/> incorporating milk, spices, and oil as one recipe specifically directs cooks to "spread it out on a pan and when cool cut it into handy pieces like small cookies".<ref name=dom/>

Forms of nougat including whipped egg white, sweeteners, and flavorings are more certainly attested in recipes from a 10th-century book{{which|date=June 2025}} written in [[Baghdad]], then the capital of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]. It was known as {{Transliteration|war|ALA|nāṭif}} ({{lang|ar|[[:wikt:ناطف#Arabic|ناطف]]}}), derived from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] [[triliteral root]] {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|nṭf}} {{nowrap|({{lang|ar|ن ط ف}})}} with the base sense of "dribbling", "trickling", and referencing the paste's viscous mass.<ref name=almaany>{{cite web |title=ترجمة ومعنى كلمة ناطف |language=ar |url= http://www.almaany.com/ar/dict/ar-en/%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%81/ |trans-title=Translation and Meaning of the Word {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|Nāṭif}} |work=Almaany.com |access-date=26 June 2016}}</ref> The recipes describe the nougat as varieties made in Baghdad (now in [[Iraq]]) and [[Harran]] (now in southeastern [[Turkey]]). Medieval references to {{Transliteration|war|ALA|nāṭif}} have been found at locations within the triangle between [[Urfa]], [[Aleppo]], and Baghdad and in the writings of the 10th-century traveler [[Ibn Hawqal]], who stated he ate {{Transliteration|ar|ALA|nāṭif}} in [[Manbij]] (now in [[Syria]]) and [[Bukhara]] (now in [[Uzbekistan]]).{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} The related confection [[Halva]] is attested in Persia by at least the 9th century,<ref name=davies>{{citation |first=Alan |last=Davidson |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |location=Oxford |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA378 378] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ |isbn=0-19-211579-0 }}.</ref><ref name=marx>{{citation |first=Gil |last=Marks |author-link=Gil Marks |year=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |location=Boston |contribution=Halva |isbn=9780544186316 |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT772 }}.</ref> but the manufacture of [[Gaz (candy)|gaz]]{{mdash}}a soft [[Iranian cuisine|Iranian]] form of pistachio nougat further flavored with the sweet [[honeydew (secretion)|honeydew]] of the [[psyllid|plant lice]] {{lang|la|[[Cyamophila astragalicola|C. astragalicola]]}}<ref name=enciran/> and [[rosewater]]<ref name=nishy>{{citation |contribution=16.8 Gaz: A Well-Known Confectionary |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R7nEDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA245 |pages=[https://www.google.lv/books/edition/Textural_Characteristics_of_World_Foods/R7nEDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&pg=PA245&newbks=0 245-246] |url=https://www.google.lv/books/edition/Textural_Characteristics_of_World_Foods/R7nEDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0 |title=Textual Characteristics of World Foods |last=Nishinari |first=Katsuyoshi |date=2020 |publisher=Wiley |location=Hoboken }}.</ref>{{mdash}}is only documented since the late 16th century.<ref name=shahby>{{citation |last=Shahbazi |first=Yasser |author2=Nassim Shavisi |display-authors=1 |ref={{harvid|Shahbazi & al.|2019}} |contribution=Occurrence of Aflatoxins and Ochratoxin A in Gaz, a Traditional Persian Confection, and Its Ingredients |title=Food Control |volume=98 |pages=107–112 |date=April 2019 |doi=10.1016/j.foodcont.2018.11.023 |publisher=Elsevier |location=Amsterdam }}.</ref> The tendency of Arab and Persian cooks to include spices and [[flower water]] in their nougats was not replicated in European recipes.<ref name=ocss/>

Local legend places the creation of Italian nougat at the festivities marking the marriage of the {{lang|it|[[condottiero]]}} [[Francesco I Sforza|Francesco Sforza]] with the [[Bianca Maria Visconti|illegitimate daughter]] of [[Filippo Maria Visconti|Filippo Visconti]], [[duke of Milan|duke]] of [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]], at [[Cremona]] on 25 October 1441, although this seems to be a 20th-century fabrication.<ref name=flamy>{{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://www.flamigni.it/en/news/the-history-of-the-nougat/ |contribution=The History of the Nougat |date=September 2023 |url=https://www.flamigni.it |title=''Official site'' |publisher=Flamigni |location=Forli }}.</ref><ref name=secten/> However, [[Gerard of Cremona]], one of the [[Toledo, Spain|Toledo]] [[Toledo School of Translators|School of Translators]], may have mentioned an Arabic form of nougat ({{translit|ar|turun}}) in one of his medical translations as early as the 12th century and forms of nougat were being produced in [[southern Italy]] and across the [[Venetian Empire]] by the early modern period.<ref name=secten/> A separate tradition credits [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] and his close ties with southern Italy and [[Norman–Arab–Byzantine culture|Sicilian Arabs]] with having introduced or reintroduced nougat to Cremona, at the time the most loyal imperial city in [[Lombardy]], during his [[Guelphs and Ghibellines|13th-century campaigns]].<ref name=coochycoochy/>

Nougat is first attested in [[Spain]] from the 15th century<ref name=dict/> in [[Enrique de Villena]]'s 1423 {{lang|la|[[Arte Cisoria]]}}, a treatise on the use of knives at table.<ref name=secten>{{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=http://www.secrettenerife.co.uk/2020/12/the-origin-of-spanish-christmas-turron.html |contribution=The Origin of Spanish Christmas Turrón |url=http://www.secrettenerife.co.uk |title=Secret Tenerife |publisher= |location= |date=17 December 2021 }}.</ref> In the 16th century, it appeared in the novels of [[Miguel de Cervantes]] and in several recipes, such as those in [[Lope de Rueda]]'s {{lang|es|La Generosa Paliza}}.<ref>{{cite book |author=Anonymous |title=Manual de Mujeres en el Cual Se Contienen Muchas y Diversas Recetas Muy Buenas |language=es |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01371074322363763092257/p0000001.htm#134 |date=2000 |orig-year=c. 1550 |editor-first=Jesús |editor-last=Majada Neila |publisher=Caligrama |isbn=9788493176341 |via=[[Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes]] |access-date=2 November 2016 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924052302/http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01371074322363763092257/p0000001.htm#134 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is first attested in [[Provence]] in southern [[France]] in the 17th century<ref name=dict/> but probably reached [[Marseille]] in the mid-16th century.<ref name=ocss/> [[Montélimar nougat]], from a town in the Provençal interior, became particularly famous across Europe during the 19th century. It was well-received at the [[1878 Universal Exposition|Universal Exposition]], the 1878 [[Paris]] [[World Fair]],<ref>{{citation |author=Lancet Analytical Commission |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VuHh1UwEtigC&pg=PA344 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VuHh1UwEtigC |page=[https://books.google.si/books?id=VuHh1UwEtigC&pg=PA346&newbks=1&source=gb_mobile_entity&redir_esc=y 346] |contribution=Report on the Food Products Exhibited in the French and English Departments of the Universal Exposition of Paris, No. II |date=7 September 1878 |title=The Lancet |issue=2871 |editor-first=James G. |editor-last=Wakley |display-editors=0 |publisher=John James Croft |location=London }}.</ref> and was assiduously promoted by the town's mayor [[Émile Loubet]], who subsequently became [[French Third Republic|France]]'s [[Prime minister of France|prime minister]] and [[President of France|president]] in the 1890s and 1900s.

Meanwhile, pulverized flavorings were also creating other colors of nougat, particularly dark nougat made with [[cocoa powder]]. In the early 19th century, [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]]'s [[Continental System|blockade]] of [[Napoleonic France|France]] and its allies and [[Napoleon]]'s retaliatory embargo of British goods limited access to pure cocoa and prompted [[chocolatier]]s around [[Turin]] (at the time annexed to France) to experiment with other fillers including almonds and grains.<ref name=witch>{{citation |last=Prantner |first=Peter |contribution-url=https://newsv2.orf.at/stories/2170200/2170207/ |url=https://orf.at |contribution=Das Nougatei und Napoleons Embargo |trans-contribution=Nougat and Napoleon's Embargo |title=''Official site'' |language=de |publisher=[[ORF (broadcaster)|Österreichischer Rundfunk]] |location=Vienna |date=30 March 2013 }}.</ref> In 1852, Michele Prochet successfully tried using finely ground roasted [[hazelnut]]s, producing [[Caffarel]]'s {{lang|it|[[gianduiotto]]}} chocolates.<ref name=witch/> This cheaper and more readily available flavor became particularly popular in Central and Northern Europe, where hazelnut or hazelnut chocolate nougat has become standard.<ref name=witch/>

The American form of nougat used in [[candy bar]]s was an accidental creation. In the early 20th century, the [[Pendergast Candy Company]] of [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]], produced dark nougat to supply the many [[German Americans|German]] and [[Scandinavian Americans|Scandinavian immigrants]] who had filled the [[Midwest]]. During the early 1920s, one batch of this nougat was made with far too many eggs, producing a much airier confection.<ref name=chu>{{citation |last=Chu |first=Anita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mDWlBAAAQBAJ |title=Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable |date=16 December 2014 |page=[https://books.google.lv/books?id=mDWlBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29&hl=en&newbks=0 29] |publisher=Quirk Books |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-1-59474-810-3 }}.</ref> Pendergast used this for a walnut-flavored candy bar called the Fat Emma, but its "Minneapolis" or "Minnesota nougat" was soon copied by [[Franklin Clarence Mars|Frank]] & [[Forrest Mars Sr.|Forrest Mars]] for their extremely successful 1923 [[Milky Way (chocolate bar)|Milky Way]] bar.<ref name=chu/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milkywaybar.com/facts/timeline.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040111131148/http://www.milkywaybar.com/facts/timeline.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-01-11 |title=Milky Way® Brand Timeline |publisher=[[Mars Incorporated]] |access-date=2012-02-07 }}</ref>

==Variations==
===White nougat===
[[File:Nougat chabert et guillot Usine.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Chabert & Guillot nougat factory in [[Montélimar]], France <small>(2011)</small>]]
[[File:Façade Magasin André Boyer Sault.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The shop of a master {{lang|fr|nougatier}} in [[Vaucluse]], France <small>(2014)</small>]]
[[File:Turrón blando y duro.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Alicante]] (top) and [[Jijona]] nougat (bottom) from Spain]]
{{see also|Montélimar nougat|Turron|Mandorlato|Gaz (candy)}}
The usual form of nougat in [[Western Europe|Western]] and [[Southern Europe]] is made from a [[mousse]] of [[egg white#Foam|whipped egg white]] sweetened with [[sugar]] or [[honey]]. Various [[nut (fruit)|nuts]] including [[almond]]s, [[pistachio]]s, [[macadamia]]s, [[hazelnut]]s, and [[walnut]]s and/or pieces of [[candied fruit]] are added to the resulting paste, which is allowed to harden and then cut into pieces for serving.<ref name=dict/> It is usually made at home or manufactured an artisan scale by nougat makers, known in French as {{lang|fr|nougatiers}}. Some manufacturers wrap nougats in edible [[wafer paper]] to ease handling; this can affect the taste depending on its thickness. 

The most prominent form of nougat in [[French cuisine]] is [[Montélimar nougat]], traditionally made with whipped egg white, sugar, [[lavender]] honey, roasted almonds & pistachios, [[vanilla]], sugar, and [[unleavened bread]].<ref name=monty>{{citation |last= |first= |contribution-url=https://www.dromeprovencale.fr/en/destination/incontournables/le-nougat-de-montelimar/lhistoire-du-nougat/ |contribution=The History of Nougat |url=https://www.dromeprovencale.fr |title=Drôme Provençale |publisher=Drôme Department |location=Valence }}.</ref> It received [[Protected geographical indication|protected status]] in 2024.<ref name=monty/> 

[[Spanish nougat]] ({{lang|es|turrón}}) is traditionally made with whipped egg whites, honey, and roasted almonds,<ref name=eb>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/nougat |title=Nougat (confection) |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2017-10-25 |last= |first= |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica |location=Chicago |date= }}</ref> with two styles particularly distinguished. Soft ({{lang|es|blando}}) or [[Jijona]] nougat ({{lang|es|turrón de Jijona}}) is over 60% almonds by mass but kept mushy or crumbly by the addition of oil to the recipe. Lacking such oil, hard ({{lang|es|duro}}) or [[Alicante]] nougat ({{lang|es|turrón de Alicante}}) is extremely firm, particularly when prepared in very thick blocks. Jijona nougat has also received PGI protected status.

[[Italian nougat]] ({{lang|it|torrone}}) is likewise made with whipped egg whites, sugar, honey, and roasted almonds but also usually features vanilla or citrus and [[wafer paper|edible rice paper]].<ref name="BestofSicily">{{cite web |url= http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art161.htm |title=Sicilian Torrone |last=Gangi |first=Roberta |work=Best of Sicily Magazine |date=2005 |access-date=7 May 2008 |publisher= |location= }}</ref> [[Venetian nougat]] ({{lang|it|mandorlato}}) is similar but generally firmer, with the variety from [[Cologna Veneta]] on the [[Veneto]] mainland particularly esteemed.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Facaros |first1=Dana |title=Northeast Italy |last2=Pauls |first2=Michael |display-authors=1 |date=2001 |publisher=Cadogan |isbn=1-86011-808-9 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=106 & 260 |oclc=46503931 }}</ref>

Both Spanish and Italian nougat are prominent components of their cuisine's [[Christmas meal]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/a-brief-history-of-spanish-turron/|title=A Brief History Of Spanish Turrón|last=Jessop|first=Tara|work=Culture Trip|access-date=2017-10-25}}</ref> In Malta, local nougat is sold at village festivals. In [[Romania]], nougat ({{lang|ro|alviță}}) is likewise sold at local festivals and fairgrounds, particularly on the Sunday of Forgiveness preceding [[Lent]].

In Britain, nougat is traditionally made in the style of the southern European varieties, and is commonly found at [[fair]]grounds and [[seaside resort]]s. The most common industrially produced type<ref>{{Cite web |title=Barrat Nougat Bar Sweets product reviews and price comparison |url=http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/food/barrat-nougat-bar/ |work=DooYoo.co.uk |access-date=12 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223123835/http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/food/barrat-nougat-bar/ |archive-date=23 December 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> is coloured pink and white, the pink often fruit flavoured, and sometimes wrapped in edible rice paper with almonds and [[cherry|cherries]].

French nougat does not have any milk or milk powder ingredients but, when nougat spread to [[Taiwan]], preparers there began to add milk powder as the main ingredient, plus sugar, cream, protein (some companies use whey protein refined from fresh milk instead of protein and protein powder), nuts (such as peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts), dried fruit and petals (such as [[cranberry]], golden [[pomelo]], [[mango]], [[orange (fruit)|orange]], [[longan]], and [[osmanthus]]). Similar forms of nougat are now found throughout [[mainland China]] as well.

===Brown nougat===
[[File:3-Musketeers-Broken.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A [[3 Musketeers (chocolate bar)|3 Musketeers]] bar, filled with American-style "fluffy nougat"]]
[[File:Nougat strasbourgeois - Nougat of Strasbourg - نوغة ستراسبورغ photo1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|German nougat for sale in [[Strasbourg]], France]]
[[File:Nougat stange aus jeibmann 150dpi.jpg|thumb|250px|right|German nougat ({{lang|it|[[gianduja (chocolate)|gianduja]]}}), made from cocoa and finely ground hazelnuts]]
{{see also|Candy bar|Gianduja (chocolate)|Viennese nougat}}
In the [[United States]], nougat more often refers to a softer brown paste made in industrial settings. It usually consists of [[corn syrup]] or [[sucrose]] aerated with a [[whipping agent]] like [[Hydrolization|hydrolyzed]] [[soybean|soy]] protein or [[gelatine]]; other components such as [[vegetable fat]]s, [[milk powder]], and [[preservative]]s may be added to impart or enhance desired characteristics. Such nougat is used as a filling in commercial [[candy bar]]s, frequently in combination with [[milk chocolate]], [[caramel]], and [[peanut]]s. Varieties of this nougat are found in [[Baby Ruth]], [[Double Decker (chocolate bar)|Double Decker]], [[Reese's Fast Break|Fast Break]], [[Milky Way (chocolate bar)|Milky Way]], [[Moro (chocolate bar)|Moro]], [[Nuts (chocolate bar)|Nuts]], [[Snickers]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/15-of-your-favorite-famous-halloween-treats-made-vegan/|title=15 of Your Favorite Famous Halloween Treats, Made Vegan! {{!}} One Green Planet|website=www.onegreenplanet.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-27}}</ref> [[Twin Bing]], and [[ZERO bar|Zero]] bars. Occasionally, American confections feature its form of nougat as their primary component. Especially aerated "fluffy nougat" is the main ingredient in [[3 Musketeers (chocolate bar)|3 Musketeers]] candy bars.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Randal|first=Oulton|date=2006-01-12|title=Three Musketeers Bars|url=http://www.cooksinfo.com/three-musketeers-bars|website=CooksInfo.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.leaf.tv/articles/the-history-of-the-3-musketeers-candy-bar/|title=The History of the 3 Musketeers Candy Bar {{!}} LEAFtv|work=LEAFtv|access-date=2017-10-27|language=en}}</ref>

In [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Northern Europe]], nougat is usually made with {{lang|it|[[gianduja (chocolate)|gianduja]]}}, a mixture of [[cocoa powder|cocoa]] and [[hazelnut]]s,<ref>Odense: [http://www.odense-marcipan.dk/odense-produkter/nougat.aspx Nougat - ingredients] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426071912/http://www.odense-marcipan.dk/odense-produkter/nougat.aspx |date=2015-04-26 }} {{in lang|da}}</ref><ref>Odense: [http://www.odense-marcipan.dk/den-soede-skole/bloed-nougat.aspx Blød Nougat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230213122/http://www.odense-marcipan.dk/den-soede-skole/bloed-nougat.aspx |date=2014-12-30 }} Pictures and description. {{in lang|da}}</ref> with the white form often being distinguished as "French nougat".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.marabou.se/produkter/fransk-nougat?p=6318&r=3240/ |title=Fransk Nougat |language=sv |work=Marabou.se |publisher=Marabou |date=17 December 2010 |access-date=31 August 2014 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021132832/https://www.marabou.se/produkter/fransk-nougat?p=6318&r=3240/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nemlig.com/produkt/kiosk/chokolade/chokoladebarer/fransk-nougat-marabou-46-g.aspx |title=Fransk Nougat |language=da |work=nemlig.com |author=Marabou|access-date=31 August 2014}}</ref> [[Viennese nougat]] is a soft variant that contains cocoa mass and butter, sugar, and hazelnuts. Introduced to [[Finland]] by [[Fazer]] in 1904, it has become a staple Finnish Christmas treat.

==See also==
* [[Divinity (confectionery)|Divinity]], an American confection similar to nougat
* [[Halva]], a Persian confection which may have developed into early forms of nougat
* [[White Christmas (food)|White Christmas]], an Australian confection similar to nougat consumed at Christmas

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Nut confections}}
{{Eggs}}
{{French cuisine}}
{{Cuisine of Italy}}
{{Cuisine of Greece}}
{{Cuisine of the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Candy]]
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