Whether white, soft or hard, the recipe of Montélimar nougat goes back many centuries and has never changed: honey and sugar, egg whites, almonds and pistachios.
History:
Nougat has been manufactured since ancient times in the Mediterranean area, but even today its birthplace remains a mystery. It appeared in France in the Middle Ages. But the enigma of its origin haunted a certain Monsieur de Nougarède de Hasset, who devoted 55 years of his life to writing an 8721 page manuscript on the question, without providing a definitive answer!
The most beautiful legend regarding the origin of nougat dates back to the 17th century and explains that the name "nougat" comes from the French expression "tu nous gâtes" (you spoil me), meaning "you spoil us". It was in 1701, during a visit to Montélimar by the grandson of Louis XIV, Philippe V of Anjou, in the company of his brothers, the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Berry, that nougat became famous.
From that moment onwards, anybody of any note who visited Montélimar was sure to receive some: the ambassador of Persia in 1714, Louis Philippe of Spain, son-in-law of Louis XV, up until the revolution of 1789!
