Nougat, the speciality of the town of Tonara
Tonara nougat
The word ‘torrone’ first appeared in the 16th century.
In Sardinia, the nougat recipe is said to be of Spanish origin. Yet the island was Latin for 700 years and at the time was a great producer and exporter of honey destined for Rome.
To make nougat, four simple ingredients are needed: honey, egg whites, wafers and lots of dried fruit.
The first document on nougat in Sardinia was found in the state archives of Cagliari, where a document dated 7 December 1614, written in Catalan, states that nougat was made in Villanova, a village inland from Alghero, and of two qualities: cujtures de torrons blanchs j negres, white and black.
Francesco Corona, in his 1896 Guide to the Island of Sardinia, mentions nougat from Tonara as a true speciality.
Grazia Deledda, in the 1892 Vita Sarda article ‘Gonare’, recounts that the exhibitors from Tonara: ‘... sawed the nougats, made by their own hands, with sharp knives...’.
