Nougat of Montélimar
Nougat de Montélimar is a candy speciality produced in Montélimar in the department of Drôme in France.
The origin of nougat dates back to the 12th century, where it first appeared on Middle-Eastern documents. It was named Halou (“sweet” in Arabic). Phoenicians crossed the Mediterranean Sea with it, and from this crossing Nougat spread over the European continent. In France, the white nougat of Marseilles was the first recipe for nougat. The word "nougat" comes from its main ingredient, the walnut (Latin Nux gatum, Provençal nougo). Nougat may come from the Arabic word, which is nougat meaning tiny dot, referring to its aspect with lots of almond or pistachio dots.
The story of the Nougat de Montélimar started in the 18th century. Olivier de Serres was an agronomist living in the Ardeches. He succeeded in planting almond trees in order to produce nougat. He then used those almonds to replace the walnuts commonly used in Nougat. The Nougat de Montélimar is composed of almonds, honey, and a light mousse of egg whites. The latter lightens the dough and gives it the traditional whitish color of the Nougat. Traditionally, nougat was baked at home, not by skilled nougat makers (French nougatiers).
In 1701, when they were coming back from Spain on horseback, Louis, Duke of Bourgonne, and Charles, Duke of Berry stopped in Montélimar. The inhabitants offered them one quintal of Nougat (equivalent to 95 lbs). The sweet's reputation spread from this point. The success of Montélimar nougat is mainly due to Montélimar’s mayor, Emile Loubet, who was later elected President of France from 1899 to 1906. During this period, he undertook a huge campaign promoting the nougat. He offered nougats to all crowned royalty in France, as well as to foreign Presidents coming to the Élysée Palace. Through these efforts, the reputation of Nougat became international.
In 1968, the A7 autoroute was built and the Nougatiers took advantage of this opportunity. They set up shop in the Montélimar rest area, which is the largest in Europe, and sold their Nougat to travellers passing by.
In 1993, the federation for the Nougatiers applied for Nougat de Montélimar to be designated a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). The application was granted in February 2003.
In Montélimar, there are still dozens of Nougatiers. The annual production is around 4,500 tons, and the Nougat industry employs about 300 workers.