This candy is a Christmas delicacy in Spain, a dense honey and almond brittle with a generous helping of the latter (the label says at least 60% almond.) The company, based in Alicante, Spain, is well-established, having been turning out the product along with other sweet treats since 1863 and this candy will definitely have a nostalgic appeal for some folks with a Hispanic heritage.
The honey-based brittle is very hard and probably could take out a tooth under the right circumstances, but the flavor is delicious, with a rich sweetness to it, and the toasted almonds were fresh and tasty. Would I purchase it as a special treat? Nope, and that is because of a difficulty presented by the candy’s packaging.
Here in the States our lazy existence is pandered to with candies that are pre-portioned, made into easy to break off squares. Not so with this, which emerges from its wrappings an obdurate brick that requires serious, hammer-level smashing effort to split into mouth-sized shards. Perhaps I have been spoiled by a glassier, cane sugar-based brittle, but something about the honey and egg white combination gives this a consistency that makes it building material grade.
All in all, this is a solid bar of sugar and nuts, no kidding around here. First I put it on a plate and tried to break a piece off, giving up at the point where I feared for the plate’s safety. A marble slab covered with parchment paper and a hammer proved sufficient to the task, but seriously, you could make a weapon out of this stuff and shiv someone. Deliciously, of course.
