Torrone di Bagnara IGP, Calabrian sweetness

The Torrone di Bagnara IGP is today the only product of its kind to obtain the Geographic Indication certification. The main admirers and consumers are located where it is produced, in Calabria. Rome and Turin follow with significant numbers. Abroad, Calabrian torrone is appreciated in Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Torrone di Bagnara IGP, the fishermen's winter work

The production period It is concentrated in the winter months, although efforts are made to maintain some production continuity through the use of semi-processed materials. Production is limited, about 1500 quintals annually by about ten companies including small pastry workshops and industrial firms.

In the last quarter  of the year, operators involved in torrone production vary from 5 to 15 depending on company size. The product is sold 30% through direct sales, 35% through specialized shops, and the remaining 35% through large scale distribution.

In the pastThe production of Torrone di Bagnara was once a great employment opportunity for the town of Bagnara Calabra. Until the mid-century, raw material processing operations, such as sugar refining, were carried out locally and required labor. Even fishermen worked there during the winter months.

Torrone di Bagnara IGP, the two coatings

There are two versions  of Bagnara Torrone, different from each other depending on the outer layer:

– the Martiniana Torrone has a coating with granulated sugar, a wrinkled surface and a brown color,

– the Roasted Glazed Torrone, on the other hand, is characterized by a coating with bitter cocoa. In this case, the surface is shiny, smooth and polished, while maintaining the dark color.

In the preparation  cocoa is always used, not chocolate. This precaution prevents any melting of the coating at temperatures above 32°C, allowing the product to be consumed throughout the year.

‘Pastry chefand master nougat maker

The area  of production is limited to the municipality of Bagnara Calabra, located in the province of Reggio Calabria. This town is located in the heart of the splendid Costa Viola, on the stretch of the Tyrrhenian Sea in front of the Strait of Messina. An area that also boasts other fine delights, such as the Villa orange and Bagnarota-style swordfish.

In the area mentioned the figures of Pastry chef and of the master nougat makermaster nougat maker. The first is simply an expert producer of sweet products, perhaps reinterpretations of the Calabrian tradition. The second has the specific skills to produce a Bagnara IGP Torrone.

Torrone, the lost etymology

The origins of nougat are lost over time and the very etymology of the word ‘torrone’ remains debated. According to some scholars, it derives from the Latin  , i.e. to roast, or from ‘, i.e. to burn, or from '‘, meaning to toast, referring to the treatment that almonds still undergo today.', that is, toasting, in reference to the treatment that almonds still undergo today.

Other sources  attribute the etymology to the Spanish  , a term that first appears in the treatise ‘, a term that appears for the first time in the treatise 'De medicinis et cibis semplicibus’ by the physician Abdul Mutarrif of Cordoba (Spain).

A reinterpretation of the  qubbayt?

It is likely that nougat has its roots in the culture of Arab populations, among whom almond-based sweets are still offered today, who would have first imported to Spain and then to Italy a sort of predecessor of the product we know today, the  qubbayt, a word that merged into Sicilian 'cubbaita', dessert made with honey, almonds and sesame seeds.

For others however, the nougat tradition is closely linked to the order of Cistercian monks, who during religious celebrations used to produce sweets to distribute to the people, also as a form of expedient to exploit the local production of honey and almonds.

The ingredients of Torrone di Bagnara IGP

The disciplinary The production process for Torrone di Bagnara PGI identifies a series of fundamental ingredients: unpeeled and toasted sweet almonds, granulated sugar, light orange or wildflower honey or Sulla, bitter cocoa powder, cinnamon and cloves.

Besides these it is possible to add: chicken egg white, albumin, vanillin and essential oils.

The production process

The production process start by mixing the sugar mass, i.e. the granulated sugar and honey, so that it can accommodate the other ingredients.

In the 'Martiniana' version, in which the sugar mass is almost entirely composed of sucrose, the preliminary phase is not necessary. Therefore, almonds can be directly added.

Cooked ‘a manto di monaco’

Cooking follows mixture in a boiler over direct heat with the possible addition of egg white or albumin at an initial temperature between 180 and 200 °C. This phase continues for a period of time necessary for the compound, through mechanical mixing, to acquire a shade of brown, known as 'monk's cloak', i.e. similar to the shade of the monk's habit.

We proceed then with the addition of egg white or albumin and with subsequent slow and gradual cooking. Then the natural aromas (cinnamon and cloves) and, in the 'Glazed Roasted' version, the previously toasted unpeeled almonds, stirring.

The purpose  of this phase is to obtain a homogeneous mass known as 'cotta', i.e. the hot and still shapeless nougat paste, with a consistency suitable for holding the other ingredients, but not so compact as to prevent moulding. An addition of vanillin may follow.

The portioning phase

It follows the cooling and portioning phase, in which the cooked mass is removed from the boiler and allowed to cool, after being poured into special molds until reaching a temperature between 60 and 70 °C.

Portioning It is carried out by knives or mechanically. In the first case, the dough is laid on wooden frames or food-safe material in the form of elongated rolls, which are divided by hand according to the desired size.

In the mechanized process, instead, the dough is placed on cutter molds, then cut into sizes suitable for marketing.

The glazing

The nougats  They are then glazed by coating the outer surface with a thin layer of sugar-based glaze. Care is taken to drain excess sugar to avoid the product being overly sweet.

The step in sugar follows granulated (partially replaceable with fondant sugar). The use of bitter cocoa powder may also occur, useful for giving the product its characteristic dark brown color.

Torrone di Bagnara IGP, form and substance

The Torrone di Bagnara IGP, as stated in the specifications, appears as a parallelepiped with a rectangular shape and rounded edges, weighing between 14 and 35 g. Covered externally by a uniform brown color, the texture must be crunchy and crumbly.

In taste, the aromas gradually reveal themselves. The initial intended sweetness gives way to smoky notes derived from almond roasting, ending with the perception of spicier notes. Try it to believe it.