Spain's Christmas Sweets
Traditional Candies and Cookies Highlight a Spanish Christmas
By mid December, Christmas market stalls spring up in cities and even in small towns in Spain. And wherever there are markets, there will surely be holiday sweets. While each region has its own specialties, three of these can be found everywhere: turron, marzipan and polvorones.
Turron from Jijona
Turron is not limited to Christmas, nor to the region that claims it under the protection of a Designation of Origin status. The town of Jijona, in the province of Alicante, is the source of the “original” turron, a golden-colored honey nougat with a soft, silky texture that contrasts to the crunch of toasted almonds imbedded inside.
But Jijona is not the only place turron is made, nor is theirs the only style. Other turrons may be almost white, somewhat chewier, or have infinite subtle variations. In Barcelona -- and elsewhere -- it may be made with pistachios and even candied fruits inside it. Turron is eaten as candy or served as a dessert, often accompanied by a sparkling wine, a sweet wine or a liqueur.
One of the origial turron makers in Jijona is the Colomina family, which opened shops in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona 100 years ago. They are still there, selling the original Jijona turron – at Cucurulla 2, Portaferssa 8, Quevedo 9, and Gran de Gracia 57 – and stepping into the original shops is like stepping back a century.
Marzipan's Origins Lost in History
Marzipan is well-loved throughout much of Europe, not only for its rich almond flavor, but for molding into holiday shapes that are then “painted” with food coloring. Although the exact origins of the confection – whose main ingredient is almond paste – are unknown, the main center of marzipan production has long been in Toledo, Spain.
Local legend has it that the nuns of the convent of San Clemente first made it during famine, when all they had left to eat was sugar and almonds. But it is far more likely that the sweet originated in Asia and was known in the Middle East before coming to Spain with the Islamic conquest. Its first mention in Islamic literature was in 700. It is a fact, however, that the convents did preserve the old recipes and methods for making marzipan and many other sweets, which they still make and sell to the public.
Whatever its origins, marzipan is firmly rooted in Spain today, made with varieties of almonds that originated in Valencia and the Balearic islands. Look for Christmas figures, fruit shapes, or sticks of marzipan dipped in dark chocolate. Cadiz, on the southwest coast of Andalusia, is known for Pan de Cádiz – marzipan filled with layers of yam or pumpkin jam and baked to brown the outside slightly, then glazed.
Polvorones, Butter Cookies
Polvorones are crumbly butter shortbread cookies rolled in powdered sugar. While recipes vary in detail from region to region, and from baker to baker, the basic ingredients are the same – butter, sugar, flour and egg yolk. Their buttery, tender interiors literally melt in the mouth.
No trip to Spain during the Christmas season would be complete without sampling these traditional sweets. Of the three, turron has the longest shelf-life and is the most easily transported – and would be a welcome souvenir of Spain in any Christmas stocking.
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