In Morocco, nougat is an integral part of the most popular ancestral sweets, often sold in bulk to the delight of children and adults alike. In some regions, know-how is a family affair, passed down from father to son. It is eaten in various variations, mainly with almonds and egg white whipped in the form of meringue, or even with honey and flax seeds. These basic versions are claimed more widely across the Mediterranean, where this preparation is known by various names.
In Spain, RFI recently highlighted the family tradition of nougatconsidered a “Christmas confectionery heir to Islamic cultures”. This nougat, also available in France, Malta, Italy and even Germany, “has its origins in the Middle East, from where it was transported by the Arab-Andalusian and Jewish cultures to the Iberian Peninsula”, reports the media.
But long before it was recognized as the popular refined confectionery, this mixture appeared in ancient medical indications. Between the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Greek doctor Claude Galien (129 – 201) described a combination to calm coughs, combining honey, almonds and pine nuts.
A sweet pastry shaped over the centuries
Long before its introduction in southern Europe, notably in Sicily and Al-Andalus, sugar cane was added to this basic preparation in the Arab-Muslim courts of Mesopotamia. In addition to nougat, pastries are made with flour, almonds, anise, gum arabic, cinnamon, sesame and orange blossom water. With the use of sugar in the Iberian Peninsula and on the Italian island during the Caliphate era, the making of desserts experienced a turning point.
Many of these preparations combine flavors inspired or influenced by Eastern know-how, which the musician from Mosul, Ziryab, promoted in Muslim Andalusia. Abu Hassan Ali ben Nafi, dynamo of Arab-Andalusian music, did not fail to perpetuate certain gastronomic traditions of his ancestors, throughout his life in Cordoba. The basis of these preparations will experience improvements and rehabilitations in various regions, such as in Morocco.
Despite the departure of many Jewish and Muslim families from Al-Andalus, with the end of the Reconquista (722-1492), the know-how of ancestral confectionery continues in the region and spreads elsewhere. From the 17th century in France, Montélimar nougat is considered heir to its Arabic, Catalan and Italian versions. It will gain in popularity, thanks to Olivier de Serres’ almond trees.
In Morocco, this tradition will be part of local sweets, among those developed particularly by families from the Iberian Peninsula. The same gestures and the same uses will be reproduced throughout the centuries, often in homes, then in artisanal shops.
Tangier represents one of the key regions where nougat makes the good reputation of Moroccan sweet traditions, carefully preserved with the same compositions of yesteryear.
Not far from Petit Socco, in the famous Siaghine street in the medina, an artisan opened a shop in 1952. Proudly displaying the local origin of the product, the brand called “Nougat de Tanger” is managed from father to son, thus perpetuating habits anchored within the family, even before the birth of this landmark which has become essential in the northern city.
Tangier nougat, a family know-how
Holder of this parental heritage, Driss Taïk manages the brand, making sure to preserve the original nougat recipe that he saw his father make with love and patience. “I was born in 1965 and for me, this confectionery is always associated with my late father. I grew up seeing him prepare it at home, then he was encouraged by one of his friends to invest in his know-how,” he confides to Yabiladi.
“Even today, we reproduce the same composition, without glucose, artificial coloring, or other processed products than those in the recipe we learned: sugar, egg white in meringue, almonds.”
Driss Taïk
Ph.D. Nougat de Tanger
The Tangier nougat artisan confirms to our editorial staff the growing demand during the holiday season. “We see general enthusiasm throughout the year, but orders increase more as certain occasions approach, such as Christmas and New Year,” he tells us. The family’s attachment to the commonly accepted version of the preparation is the reason for the success of the brand, which several generations know well.
“Beyond the economic aspects, the family store is a landmark for old-timers in the neighborhood, friends who knew my father, or for younger people whose ancestors witnessed the birth of the brand. We like to maintain these human relationships with everyone, the time for a conversation which becomes a friendly moment of sharing around nougat.”
Driss Taïk
Ph.D. Nougat de Tanger
In more than 70 years of existence, the nougat artisan in Tangier also attracts visitors from other cities in Morocco, as well as connoisseurs of sweets or foreign tourists. According to Driss Taïk, the various variations of the preparation reflect the richness of the influences which have shaped this popular and refined confectionery at the same time.
The specialist in our childhood confectionery would like to point out that “the basic element remains the egg white, for almond, hazelnut or peanut nougat; for “brown nougat”, with flax or sesame seeds, we only use honey.
