Honey sweets

Honey sweets are confectionery and baked goods in which honey is a required ingredient: turrón and torrone nougat, gingerbread and similar treats. Honey gives sweetness, but also colour, aroma and moisture, so these products stay soft for a long time.

The EU protects several nougat names that contain honey. The specifications of Turrón de Jijona, Turrón de Alicante and Turrón de Agramunt (Torró d'Agramunt) require at least 10 % pure honey, alongside almonds or hazelnuts and egg white. The specification of Torrone di Bagnara lists honey among the compulsory ingredients but gives no percentage: it is a mix of sugar with orange blossom, clear wildflower or sulla honey.

Not every protected sweet pastry contains honey. The specification of Antep Baklavası says that honey should not be used; the syrup is made with sugar. So the word "honey" or "oriental" on a pack means little: the recipe is set by the specification.

In sweets honey works together with sugar. The mix is cooked to the texture wanted, from soft, as in Turrón de Jijona, to hard and crunchy, as in Turrón de Alicante. Honey also goes into drinks such as honey liqueur, but in nougat it sets structure and flavour.

Why this matters to you: a protected name fixes a minimum of honey and the place of production. On the label look for the full name, the PGI mark and the grade Suprema or Extra, which shows the minimum share of nuts. For other products the ingredient list shows the honey share.