Nougat de Tours

Almost every face has had that look of surprise when I have told the story of Nougat de Tours. Nougat that does not look like nougat at all, hiding under a name usually associated with that white and almond-filled candy. This one is very different—as it is baked in the shape of a cake, and it’s one made of five layers: pastry base, apricot jam, candied fruits, a layer of almond macaroon batter, and icing sugar. Sweet on sweet, with sweet, and more sweet.

This very local sweet dates back to the 15th century and was a favourite cake of Leonardo da Vinci, who lived in Amboise and absolutely loved almonds and candied fruits (which are the main ingredients of this cake).

And even though its history goes all the way back to the 15th century, the first written recipe appears only in 1865, written by the chef of Prince Charles III of Monaco. Yet it didn’t become so popular—in fact, quite the opposite. It declined in popularity, and only thanks to chef Charles Barrier, who revived it in the 1970s, did it start to come back. That was followed by the founding of the Confrérie du Nougat de Tours in 1998 by local bakers and pastry chefs, with the aim of promoting and preserving this regional speciality.

Not knowing that in the 19th century Nougat de Tours was actually considered a “travel cake”, I bought it that summer of 2021 to travel from Tours to Paris—just as a safe option. It turns out that’s been the cake’s whole success story all along. Because of how well it holds up over distance, it used to be a very popular choice for people travelling, sharing this region’s culinary heritage across not just France, but the world too.