"PREMIATA TORRONERIA"

Torrone is a typical Italian sweet, already known by the Romans, which had great diffusion in Italy in the Middle Ages. In Piedmont, it is mainly produced in the areas Asti and Balba, using hazelnuts as the major ingredients. The Torrone of Asti is exclusively "crumbly" and is not coated, the peculiarities of this type of torrone are its basic ingredients: hazelnuts and honey. The hazelnuts normally used for the "Torrone of Asti" belong to the group "Tonda Gentile delle Langhe" which received the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), IGP in Italian, with the denomination "Nocciola Piemonte". This hazelnuts grows in the hills and in the moountain area, between 250 and 600-700 above sea level. Hazelnuts trees are planted in a way to facilitate not only their growth but also their maintenance. Normally there are 200/400 trees per hectare. The honey used comes exclusively from Piedmontese beehives bred, It is the "Millefiori" honey having a clear colour with a high percentage of acacia honey blended to the alpine flowers honey. The long cooking of torrone does not alter the perfume of the honey itself. The result is a product with a wonderful taste and a delicate perfume, which give to the Torrone of Asti particular features making it different from any other. It is believed that this sweet was introduced in the area of Asti by the Visconti cooks, Lords of Milan, who had business relationships with Asti's bankers. For about 300 years, torrone was produced by different artisans who exclusively used local products, giving superior features in comparison with the other existing torroni. Towards the end of 1700s, a pastry chef from Asti took the best ingredient of each recipe and created the current recipe which is still used for the production of the torrone of Asti. One of his descendants founded in 1883 a confectionary industry in Mombercelli for the production of torroni and "noasetti", using the recipe of his ancestor. The product had a great success and in 1885 it was awarded the gold medal at the Exhibition of Naples. Other prizes were given at the Exhibition of Livorno and at Castelfranco Veneto in 1903. The original recipe handed down by the heirs has come to us with only few changes and is the current recipe for all torroni in the area of Asti.