Nougat of Montélimar facts for kids

Nougat de Montélimar is a special sweet treat from Montélimar, a town in Drôme, France. It's a type of nougat, a chewy candy made with honey, sugar, nuts (especially almonds), and egg whites. This delicious candy is famous for its white color and yummy taste!

The Story of Nougat

Where Did Nougat Come From?

The idea for white nougat started a very long time ago in the Middle East. Early recipes were found in a book from Baghdad (in modern Iraq) around the year 900. This sweet was called nāṭif. People ate nāṭif in places like Harran (now in Turkey) and Manbij (in Syria). A traveler named Ibn Hawqal even wrote about eating it in Bukhara (in Uzbekistan) in the late 900s.

Nougat Travels to Europe

Later, recipes for white nougat appeared in Spain (in a region called Andalusia) in the 1200s. From there, it spread to Catalonia (also in Spain) in the 1300s. In Spain, it was called toron. This Spanish nougat then inspired a similar sweet in Italy called torrone.

In 1555, a famous person named Nostradamus even shared a recipe for a sweet called pignolate. Even though its name sounds like it's made with pine nuts, it was actually very similar to white nougat made with almonds. This recipe was later used by Olivier de Serres, a farmer and writer from France, around 1600.

Nougat in France

Many people believe that Olivier de Serres was the first to plant almond trees near Montélimar to make nougat. However, almond trees were already growing in the Provence region of France since the 1300s and 1400s. Almonds from the Drôme and Ardèche areas were even sold at markets in Lyon by the mid-1500s.

The word nougat comes from an old French word, nogat. This word itself came from a Latin word for walnuts. By 1607, nogat was used to describe a sweet from the Provence and Languedoc regions of France.

Montélimar's Famous Nougat

The Nougat de Montélimar is special because it's made with almonds, honey, and a light foam of egg whites. The egg whites make the nougat soft and give it its traditional white color. Long ago, people often made nougat at home, not in big factories.

In 1701, two important French princes, Louis, Duke of Bourgogne, and Charles, Duke of Berry, stopped in Montélimar. The people of the town gave them a huge amount of nougat – about 95 pounds! This helped spread the word about how delicious Montélimar nougat was.

The nougat became even more famous thanks to Émile Loubet, who was the mayor of Montélimar and later became the President of France (from 1899 to 1906). He worked hard to promote the nougat. He gave it as gifts to kings, queens, and foreign presidents who visited France. Because of his efforts, Nougat de Montélimar became known all over the world!

In 1968, a big highway called the A7 autoroute was built. Nougat makers in Montélimar saw a chance to sell their sweets. They set up shops at the Montélimar rest area, which is one of the biggest in Europe. Travelers stopping there could easily buy the famous nougat.

In 1993, the nougat makers worked together to get a special protection for Nougat de Montélimar. In 2003, it was officially given a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. This means that only nougat made in a certain way in the Montélimar area can be called "Nougat de Montélimar."

Today, there are still many nougat makers in Montélimar. They produce about 4,500 tons of nougat each year, and the nougat business provides jobs for around 300 people.

Fun Facts

The famous band the Beatles even mentioned "Montélimar" in their song "Savoy Truffle". This song was written by George Harrison and is on their 1968 album, The Beatles (also known as "the White Album").