A typical confectionery item made in L’Aquila, produced to a traditional method consolidated over several decades, this soft chocolate nougat is made in bars and is a chocolate brown colour, with hazelnuts that can be
seen on the sides.
L’Aquila nougat’s unique paste, prime raw materials and preservative-free recipe make it an outstanding product amongst Italian nougats.
It is made by mixing honey, whisked egg whites and sugar that are then heated in bain marie, in other words in a container over a pan of boiling water. Prime toasted hazelnuts are then added to a proportion of at least 30%, followed by cocoa powder. The paste is spread between two sheets of rice paper, left to dry and sliced into slabs so that the whole hazelnuts can be seen.
L’Aquila soft chocolate nougat is an original recipe developed by the Nurzia family who have kept it a secret since its invention in the early 1900s. It was Francesco Saverio Nurzia, a skilled pastry chef, who invented this type of
confectionery and it was then perfected by his son Ulisse, who explored the characteristics of cocoa in great depth.
This “torrone” was already known before World War I, and between 1920 and 1930 it became customary to serve the nougat at family celebrations and local festivities.
