Description
The Jijona PGI is soft candy made from a minimum of 52% toasted almonds of "Extra" quality and 64% of the "Supreme" quality plus a minimum of 10% honey, sugar, egg white and wafers.
Production Area
The Jijona PGI is produced in the municipality of Jijona, in the province of Alicante in the Autonomous Community of Valencia.
Production Method
The Jijona PGI is made by melting honey to which toasted almonds and egg white has been added. The almonds are toasted in special cylinders on a very high heat. A mixture of sugar, glucose and honey is cooked in a special saucepan on a high heat; egg white is added followed by the toasted almonds. The hot mixture is spread out onto a board by hand and it is kneaded into a 1 cm thick layer. Once it has cooled, it is ground in a stone mill and cooked again on a medium heat with the addition of 2 kg of almonds. During this second cooking phase the mixture is beaten. The hot candy is weighed and left to rest for 24 hours before it is cut and packed.
Appearance and Flavour
Jijona PGI nougat has a robust almond and honey flavour. It is easily cut with a knife and has a slightly rough surface in which the chopped almonds are visible. It is sweet, crumbly and releases an intense flavour.
History
Jijona is a village surrounded by fields where there are many almond trees and bee hives. This is because of the huge amount of flowers and herbs such as rosemary and thyme to be found there. The making of this type of sweet is an ancient tradition. It is recorded as far back as 1531 and was imported by the Arabs. It has grown from being a home-made sweet to the industry that it has become today.
Gastronomy
The Jijona PGI must be stored in a cool dry place. Once it has been opened, it should be kept in its original wrapping or in aluminium foil. Jijona PGI is not only eaten at Christmas but is also used as an ingredient in the preparation of very special dishes. It can be used in fish dishes such as salmon or be the main ingredient in biscuits, cakes, ice cream, mousses and desserts in general.
Marketing
This soft candy is sold in two versions, Jijona PGI Extra which contains no less than 52% almonds and Jijona PGI Suprema with no less than 64% almonds and it is packed in tablets of 15 to 90 gr. and tablets of 100 to 700 gr. For the catering trade it is available in units of 6 to 7 kg.
Distinctive Features
The Jijona PGI area is rich in herbs such as rosemary, thyme, lavender and orange blossom giving a very distinctive flavour to the local honey which is used for the production of this high quality product.
