Large marzipan sweet (made with almonds and sugar), filled with pieces of candied fruit and crystallized pumpkin formed into a special shape resembling a chest. It can also be found in a simple circle or rectangle, like bread, weighing between 0.5 and 3 kg / 1 lb 2 oz and 6 ½ lb. It is also known as Turrón de Cádiz (Cadiz nougat) or Mazapán de Cádiz (Cádiz marzipan), and is usually eaten at Christmas.
Tasting notes
Mainly sweet.
Other notes
Marzipan is a paste obtained by kneading, with or without cooking, a mixture of raw, peeled and ground almonds with different types of sugar and derivatives. The resulting paste has a soft texture and is easy to mould into a variety of shapes.
Production / Processing method
It was originally made by hand, and production is today generally limited to the city and province of Cádiz. It is also produced industrially by companies dedicated to making turrón (nougat), mantecados, marzipan and other typical Christmas products in various Spanish regions
A syrup is made with water and sugar and heated to thread point, then removed from the heat and slightly cooled. The well-beaten egg yolks are placed in a different container and the warm syrup is added, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Ground almonds, sugar and vanilla are then mixed together and added to the syrup and egg. The mixture is then well kneaded, formed into the desired shape, and candied fruits are placed inside. It is brushed with egg yolk and placed in the oven. When it takes on a dark golden color it is removed from the oven and left in a cool dry place to stand for about five days.
Geography / Relief and climate
Cádiz is a Spanish city in the region of Andalusia located in the south-westernmost part of Europe on the Atlantic coast.
Due to its geographic situation it has an intermediate climate between Mediterranean and European Atlantic, with an average temperature of 18ºC / 64º F , 74 days of rain a year, a complete absence of snow and a moderately strong easterly wind.
It was originally made by hand, and production is today generally limited to the city and province of Cádiz.