The Turrón de Jijona or “soft” made of almonds and honey, typical of the province of Alicante, rivals the hard turrón of Alicante.

Curiously, with the same ingredients, two different products are made: hard and soft turrón.

Almonds are its main ingredient, but in smaller proportions compared to the hard turrón of Alicante, where they are included whole.

It is believed that the habit of making turrón was brought to the town of Jijona by Arab and Jewish settlers, who introduced almonds and dried fruits into the area’s gastronomy.

The soft one is made from a mixture of toasted almonds mixed with egg whites and honey.

This mixture is ground in special mills until it becomes a uniform fluid mass; this mass is cooked again in pots called “boixets” (a Valencian word meaning small mortars).

With the movement of the “boix,” a homogeneous mixture is obtained, which is then poured into appropriate molds.

It is left to cool until the turrón is finished (it takes at least 24 hours for the almonds to release their oil).

The hard turrón of Alicante, on the other hand, is wrapped in wafer, similar to the Italian one.

There is an organization called Consejo Regulador de Jijona y Turrón de Alicante, which is responsible for ensuring that all requirements are met for both turróns to be considered PGI products.

In Spain, turrón is traditionally enjoyed at Christmas and is part of a unique tradition spread both in Valencia, Catalonia, and Aragon. 

Another sweet from the Spanish Christmas tradition: