It’s a rare event for me to pick up a candy bar these days, because I tend to find myself reaching more for gummi things, or sour things, or fancy chocolates. A recent purchase (okay, complete and utter gorge) at a local candy store brought these to my attention. Being a sale item and European to boot, I had to have one (or possibly two. Not that I would admit to that.)
Nougat, of the European variety, is nothing at all like you find in a Snickers bar. It’s not a foamy, aerated, vaguely malty thing sandwiched between other things. Good nougat is something special; something which has very few ingredients and definitely nothing resembling sucrose or milk powder.
Traditional nougat is usually made with egg whites, honey and/or sugar, cooked together to achieve a white creamy consistency. It often includes roast nuts and dried fruits, and is often sold in bars or blocks lined with rice paper. It’s a popular Italian treat (where it is known as torrone) but you can find it in various guises all through Europe. Nougat in this form can be anything from very chewy to rock solid and can often include more exotic ingredients like dried cranberries, pistachios, and coffee.
The Cote d’Or Nougatti bar is an example of crappy nougat produced for the masses. A small bar, it’s a chewy-style white nougat with (theoretically) roast almonds studded through it. The entire bar is then covered with a fairly thick layer of crappy chocolate. There is just no gentle way to say it – the Nougatti bar is basically, horrid-atti!
The nougat itself has a nice consistency of not too hard, not too chewy, but it is completely lacking in flavor other than ‘sweet.’ The nuts to nougat ratio was sadly very small so as to be infinitesimal. I think I had the equivalent of one whole almond in the entire bar.
I’m sure it’s obvious from this review just how terribly disappointed I was, but then perhaps it was self-inflicted. There was an entire WALL of these on sale, available as singles and in multi-packs. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Next time I’m heading for the full priced treats!
I love real nougat … I’ve come to think of that stuff that comes in commercially produced candy bars as something else entirely. (Just like the difference between real slow cooked butter caramels and that caramel-colored goo in most candy bars.)
Thanks for the warning on this one … I probably would have bought one at the import store I frequent. (I still might … just so I can come back and confirm that you’re so right!)
March 7th, 2008 at 2:16 pmWhere can I buy nougatti on-line or in New Jersey? Thanks!
November 11th, 2008 at 7:25 pmHello, I just googled nougatti and found your review. To be honest I am desperately trying to find it. It is not for sale everywhere in my country and I have bought it online before because I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. If I am a nougat philistine I would appreciate an education on the best nougat to look out for as I love the stuff. Mmmmm.
December 15th, 2008 at 3:38 pmI’m also looking for nougatti bars. You can’t buy them in the USA and I love them. I also live in New Jersey. If anyone know where I can buy them, please contact me. My grandmother used to bring them back from the Netherlands. I also found them once when visiting Paris. I would be interested in buying several boxes of them. I know they used to be sold in a box with 36 bars.
November 11th, 2009 at 1:04 pmmy email is doinka@optonline.net
November 11th, 2009 at 1:06 pm