Spanish Christmas sweets

The flavors, textures and aromas of these Spanish Christmas sweets are unmistakable and have their guaranteed presence in Spanish homes on these dates.

Many countries in the world have their typical Christmas sweets.

In Spain, the most traditional Christmas sweets are nougat in all its varieties, mantecado, polvorón, marzipan and the emblematic roscón de reyes, among others.

The Nougat

The nougat, or nougat in English, is one of the Christmas sweets that cannot be missing on Christmas Eve

Nougat is a sweet dough obtained by cooking honey (or sugars ) to which peeled and toasted almonds are added . Egg white can be added to this mass to emulsify.

It is traditionally given the final shape of a rectangular tablet or cake .

There are two classic varieties:

• Hard Nougat or Alicante Nougat : Consisting of a mass of honey, sugar, egg white and whole almonds.

• Soft Turrón or Jijona Turrón : Consisting of a ground mass of honey, sugar, egg white and almonds.

In addition to these two varieties, there are very different flavors such as chocolate, toasted egg yolk, truffle,…

“El Mantecado”

Mantecado is a typical sweet of Spanish confectionery , characterized by being kneaded with lard and consumed at any time of the year, especially at Christmas .

In Cuba , Spain , the Philippines , Mexico , and Venezuela , a flavor of ice cream is known as mantecado .

Polvoron

The polvorón is a small cake , made of flour, butter and sugar, baked in a strong oven and that crumbles into dust when eaten.

At present it is a typical product of Christmas confectionery in Spain and in many Spanish-speaking places .

It is called a shortbread because when you add the flour it seems that there is dust on top of the sweet.

The marzipan

Marzipan is a sweet whose main ingredients are almonds , sugar and egg.

In Spain it is a traditional Christmas dessert.

The Roscón de Reyes

The Roscón de Reyes is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated Christmas sweets

The Roscón de Reyes is a bun made with a round-shaped sweet dough with a hole in the middle, garnished with slices of candied fruit of various colors.

The dough with which it is usually made is flavored with orange blossom water , which gives it a characteristic aroma.

It can be filled with whipped cream or cream, currently also with mocha, truffle or chocolate.

Surprises are introduced inside, usually ceramic or plastic figurines, which diners come to find in some portion.

Another characteristic is that a dry bean is also inserted inside the roscón, and it is tradition that whoever finds the bean pays for the roscón.

It is served on January 6 , which is Three Kings Day .

Other Christmas sweets

In addition to these sweets, there are the neulas , the sugared almonds , the roscos de vino , the alfajores ,…

Nougat Christmas advertisement in Spain

Advertisement for El Almendro nougat.

Ad Song Lyrics:

Come back home come back

come back to your home

That today is Christmas Eve,

live happiness.

come back home come back

at Christmas.”