What is Turrón? (EP 43)

Turrón is Spain's Christmas candy: toasted almonds and honey, cooked down and pressed into a bar, then cut into small pieces and left on a tray for snacking throughout the Christmas season. It's holiday season here at Spain Explained, and we're kicking it off by breaking down the two classics, the hard turrón de Alicante and the soft turrón de Jijona.  Tune in to listen about how one small town above Alicante came to make about 60 percent of Spain's traditional turrón....or how in 1582, the city of Alicante paid its workers' Christmas wages partly in turrón, around 12 kilos each. Marti Buckley explains the quality grades printed on every box, from suprema down to popular, so the almond content is easy to read before buying. Along the way: a 250-euro bar from the Jijona brand 1880, and the chocolate turrón with puffed rice that now outsells the almond originals. If you want more about Spain: ∙ Subscribe to Marti's Substack at https://substack.com/@martibuckley ∙ Follow her on Instagram @martibuckley ∙ Visit her blog at travelcookeat.com