The centuries-old French nougat was introduced from the Middle East, and the success of almond farming led to the mass production of nougat in France in the 17th century, the most famous of which is the Nougat de Montélimar, thanks to the richness of the soil, proximity to major transportation routes, and the efforts of Emile Loeb, President of the Third French Republic. With the neo-crown epidemic raging in France and Europe, the French need this dessert to soothe their nerves, as they now produce an average of over 4,000 tons of nougat per year.
Traditional Nougat Recipe
High-quality floral honey and lavender are slowly melted in a heavy copper cauldron, then beaten egg whites are added to the nougat recipe.
There are many nougat artisans in Montelimar, who will tell you that the addition of balanced honey is essential, especially in the fertile regions of Drôme, Ardèche and Vaucluse around Montelimar, where countless varieties of flowers fill the hills to produce high quality honeys, such as lavender honey, which is light in color and slightly acidic. The toasting of the almonds in nougat is another critical step. Toasting the almonds in nougat is another critical step, which involves selecting aromatic almonds and watching them heat up, minute by minute, until they are golden brown.
Artisan nougat makers will tell you that it usually takes a new apprentice a full year to learn how to properly boil the syrup, add the light-as-dust egg whites, and wait until the whole pan is as white as snow before adding the baked goods. After the entire pan of ingredients has become as white as snow, toasted, peeled almonds and bright green crushed pistachios are added. After two and a half hours, the soft nougat is ready, and after another half hour, the hard nougat. Finally, lay them out on the table and flatten them.
History of Nougat
The most famous of all nougat is the French “Monterey Marie Nougat”. Montereymar is known as the “Gateway to Provence” because it is the main transportation route from Paris to Marseille via Lyon.
Nougat de Montréal is protected by the name of the place of origin and remains handmade, moderately sweet, without the cloying over-sweetness of industrially produced nougat.
In fact, nougat has been around for thousands of years. The earliest recorded nougat recipe comes from the 10th century on the Mesopotamian plain, which is now Iraq, where it was brought to the Mediterranean region by the Phoenicians and gradually made its way to Europe.
The earliest French recipe for white nougat is from Marseille. The Provencal nougat recipe did not appear until the 16th century, and is found in pharmacies and local dialect books, mostly for black nougat.
Today’s Monterey Maillard nougat recipe must contain three ingredients: local almonds, local lavender honey, and egg white mousse. This is also thanks to the 16th century agronomist Oliver de Serres, who was able to make delicious nougat by successfully growing almond trees in the Auvergne-Rhône Alps region of Southern France.
Today, there are nougatiers in the vicinity of Montelimar, who are constantly adding new inspirations and ingredients to their traditional recipes, and who produce more than 4,000 tons of nougat per year.
In fact, nougatiers in Montelimar are famous for their timing, location and people, which are inseparable from the nougat road legend.
Montelimar nougat has been popular since 1701. It is mainly due to the road Montereyma travelled by Louis, Duke of Burgundy and his good friend Charles, Duke of Berry. The nougat first gained fame in France when the locals served them with 100 kilos of nougat.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Emile Loubet, the 8th President of the Third Republic of France, was the mayor of Montelimar, and after the French presidency, Loubet often gave nougat to the leaders of countries visiting the Elysée Palace, making Montelimar nougat famous worldwide.
After the start of the Industrial Revolution, the Paris-Lyon-Marseille railroad line was built, and at one point it became the busiest overland transportation route in France. It passed right through downtown Montelimar, where girls from Montelimar would come with baskets to sell their homemade nougat in front of the stopped trains.
As the French began to take paid vacations in 1930, they would head to the Mediterranean in their private cars, with their families and children. The Route des Vacances, the French equivalent of U.S. Route 66, was the legendary Route 7 connecting Paris to the Mediterranean, and was called the Route des Vacances. Montelimar was a necessary stop on this road, which solidified the status of the Montelimar nougat.
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