Torrone di Guardiagrele (nougat)

History and origin

Torrone di Guardiagrele is a sweet typical of the village of the same name, in the province of Chieti. It was made for special occasions, above all for Christmas, and was once known beyond Abruzzo: the writer Ignazio Silone is said to have been among its admirers.

Today production is very small and the nougat is found almost only in a few pastry shops in the village. For this reason Slow Food's Ark of Taste has listed it among the products to make known and safeguard.

It is on the list of traditional food products of Abruzzo, in the pastry and confectionery section, as a separate entry from the soft chocolate nougats of L'Aquila and Sulmona; the 2026 national revision confirms it.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Arca del Gusto, Torrone di Guardiagrele · Regione Abruzzo — Elenco dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali dell'Abruzzo, aggiornamento 2023 · Masaf — Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, XXVI revisione (2026)

Area and method of production

Preparation starts by toasting whole almonds in a copper pan together with sugar, which is cooked until it turns liquid.

Cinnamon and candied fruit are then added and everything is stirred carefully. The mixture is caramelised in the boiling sugar and then spread on a marble slab, where it must cool for at least 24 hours.

When ready, the nougat is cut into long, narrow bars, which are wrapped by hand in paper. In the village's historic pastry shops a tricolour paper is still used.

It is a craft process, practised today in only a few pastry shops, and it takes time: at least twenty-four hours pass between cooking and cutting.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Arca del Gusto, Torrone di Guardiagrele

How to recognise it

Torrone di Guardiagrele is very close to a brittle. It is recognised by whole toasted almonds bound by caramelised sugar, with candied fruit and a pinch of cinnamon that defines its aroma.

It comes in long, narrow bars, wrapped by hand in paper; in the historic pastry shops the tricolour wrapper is a sign of recognition.

Among the Abruzzo nougats on the list of traditional products, which also include soft chocolate ones, it is a hard, crunchy sweet based on almond and sugar.

On the Abruzzo list of traditional products it appears as an entry of its own, bearing the village's name.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Arca del Gusto, Torrone di Guardiagrele · Regione Abruzzo — Elenco dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali dell'Abruzzo, aggiornamento 2023

In the kitchen

The nougat is a sweet for the end of a meal and for feast days. Tradition ties it to special occasions, and in particular to Christmas, when it appeared on family tables.

The local habit is to enjoy it while sipping a fortified sweet wine, which accompanies the sweetness of the caramelised sugar and the aroma of almond and cinnamon.

In the village's pastry shops it is one of the traditional sweets alongside the sise delle monache, part of a confectionery heritage with deep roots in Guardiagrele.

Today production is small and it is found almost only in the village, where it remains a festive sweet.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Arca del Gusto, Torrone di Guardiagrele · I Borghi più belli d'Italia — Guardiagrele

Where to taste it

The nougat is found in Guardiagrele, in the village's pastry shops, which still make it the traditional way. In the village, confectionery is one of the things visitors appreciate most: nougats, amaretti, marzipan and the sise delle monache.

Guardiagrele stands at almost 600 metres on the slopes of the Majella and is home to the headquarters of the Majella National Park. It is the city of stone described by Gabriele d'Annunzio, with a medieval old town and a long craft tradition, especially in goldsmithing.

The Christmas season, to which the nougat is tied, is a special time to discover the village and its sweets.

Sources: Fondazione Slow Food — Arca del Gusto, Torrone di Guardiagrele · I Borghi più belli d'Italia — Guardiagrele · Italia.it — Guardiagrele

Protection

• Traditional agri-food product (PAT) — Abruzzo, n. 124, 26th revision (Masaf — Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, XXVI revisione (2026) · Regione Abruzzo — Elenco dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali dell'Abruzzo, aggiornamento 2023)

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Abruzzo

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