Along with the other European treats, I also managed to a variety of nougats, all from France. These are specifically the Montélimar variety, which uses egg whites to aerate the dough. I usually like sampling a variety of similar snacks so I get to cross-compare and know the standard of what I'm eating.
First off, I was kinda disappointed when I saw the ingredients list. All of them used vegetable oil, one of which was explicitly palm oil. -_-;; So much for high quality European candies. (But well, they did have almond, honey and of course the signature egg white.) With that preemption, let's move on.
These were the two original flavour nougats, the left one corresponding to the left bag above, and the right one to the middle bag above, which was individually wrapped in paper. They both had subtle differences.
Nougat #1 (Plain Nougat)
The left one was softer and less sweet, which is always good in a nougat, given that it is already quite sweet. It also had some artificial taste which I couldn't put my finger on... felt very manufactured.
Score: 2/10
Nougat #2 (Plain Nougat)
The one on the right was sweeter, and more chewy and firm. I preferred its texture. It also didn't have the weird artificial taste. The paper wrapping gave it a more luxurious feel too. Still, there was nothing outstanding about it. And as with the first one though, it was vanilla-flavoured, but didn't have any milk or butter in it, so its flavour was quite hollow.
Score: 5/10
Nougat #3 (Coffee Nougat)
The leftmost (brown) one had a nice coffee aroma. However, it came across as too sweet. I'm not sure if they used the same amount of sugar across the flavours... maybe it's the slight bitterness of the coffee that contrasted with the sweetness.
Score: 2/10
Nougat #4 (Pistachio Nougat)
This is the green one on top. This one was baad... when I first tried it, I couldn't figure out what flavour it was. I wondered if it was apple. Found out it was pistachio only after studying the ingredients list. Even so, the list admitted to using some flavouring - "arome naturel identique de pistache". I suppose that means it's identical but artificial? It's like some euphemistic way of putting "artificial pistachio flavour". Unless I totally misunderstood the French... someone correct me if I'm wrong haha.
It was also a tad too sweet.
Score: 1/10
Nougat #5 (Orange Nougat)
This is the one in the middle. For some reason, it's shape is a little fatter and it was wrapped slightly differently - in a twist wrap rather than a sealed one.
This was also baad... it tasted so artificial, like an orange-flavoured Starburst candy or some other artificial chewy candy. Even Morinaga's Hichew orange flavour was nicer than this one.
Not to mention, it was also too sweet.
Score: 0/10
Nougat #6 (Raspberry Nougat)
This was the pink one at the bottom. This one had a milder flavour, but it wasn't too bad. There was also some milky taste, although I've no idea where it comes from, given that there's not a diary ingredient listed. Anyway, it was still artificial tasting and too sweet, like a berry chewy candy.
Score: 1/10
Nougat #7 (Lemon Nougat)
This is the yellow one on the right. Surprisingly, it was much better than the orange one. Tasted like lemon cream with a strong milky or creamy flavour. It wasn't too sweet either, and the nougat went well with the nuts embedded in it.
I've no idea why it's so much better than the rest. *scratch head* I'm wondering if it was a totally different brand and product that snuck itself into this assorted bag... because the "lemon flavour" ingredient was not on the ingredients list. All the other flavours (coffee, pistachio, orange and raspberry) were listed.
Score: 5/10
Even just by looking at them, you get the feeling that they're more natural... kinda because they aren't perfect cuboids I suppose. But this is a subjective preference - Montélimar nougats are known for their fluffy texture due to the egg whites. These are more chewy.
The ingredients list featured pure dairy ingredients... butter oil, milk and honey I think. No vegetable oil for sure.
Nougat #8 (Cranberry Nougat)
The leftmost one, as you can see, had cranberries embedded in it. It had a rich and natural cranberry flavour, and wasn't too sweet. I felt that the fruit flavour was stronger and more prominent than the sweetness.
Score: 9/10
Nougat #9 (Plain Nougat)
Nice and milky! Heaven to the palate. Not too sweet either. The buttery/milky flavour dominated instead of the sweetness.
Score: 9/10
(Not a perfect 10, because I'd save that last point for some interesting flavour that I hadn't imagined but went surprisingly well as a nougat. It would be a 10/10 for a plain nougat though.)
Nougat #10 (Coffee Nougat)
This is the rightmost brown one. Its coffee flavour was good too, like the French one. The big difference though, is the milky flavour, that made this like a rich and chewy coffee smoothie in my mouth. See the difference the other ingredients make?
Score: 9/10
I find the Japanese better at pairing flavours and nuancing them in general... even for common brands like KitKat or some random castella product. And you can get a sense of this in my previous posts.
Having said that of French candies, their pastries and chocolates are still awesome. Even those generic brands purchased from convenience stores are awesome, like the orange fruit cake I posted about earlier.
Of course, I'll have to make the obvious qualification that my exposure is relatively limited. Maybe the candy shops that the tour guide brought my friend on were all substandard. No idea. But they're seasoned travellers, even to Europe, and said the tour guide was good and brought them to many authentic places. *shrug*
These were the two original flavour nougats, the left one corresponding to the left bag above, and the right one to the middle bag above, which was individually wrapped in paper. They both had subtle differences.
The left one was softer and less sweet, which is always good in a nougat, given that it is already quite sweet. It also had some artificial taste which I couldn't put my finger on... felt very manufactured.
Score: 2/10
Nougat #2 (Plain Nougat)
The one on the right was sweeter, and more chewy and firm. I preferred its texture. It also didn't have the weird artificial taste. The paper wrapping gave it a more luxurious feel too. Still, there was nothing outstanding about it. And as with the first one though, it was vanilla-flavoured, but didn't have any milk or butter in it, so its flavour was quite hollow.
Score: 5/10
~~~
Now on to the rightmost bag of assorted nougats. This one had barley malt extract as an ingredient. Well, I don't know what the ingredient does, but I guess it's better than just a list of artificial flavouring and oils. It also had farina potato starch. The most different ingredients list I've seen for nougats, whether this batch or in general.The leftmost (brown) one had a nice coffee aroma. However, it came across as too sweet. I'm not sure if they used the same amount of sugar across the flavours... maybe it's the slight bitterness of the coffee that contrasted with the sweetness.
Score: 2/10
Nougat #4 (Pistachio Nougat)
This is the green one on top. This one was baad... when I first tried it, I couldn't figure out what flavour it was. I wondered if it was apple. Found out it was pistachio only after studying the ingredients list. Even so, the list admitted to using some flavouring - "arome naturel identique de pistache". I suppose that means it's identical but artificial? It's like some euphemistic way of putting "artificial pistachio flavour". Unless I totally misunderstood the French... someone correct me if I'm wrong haha.
It was also a tad too sweet.
Score: 1/10
Nougat #5 (Orange Nougat)
This is the one in the middle. For some reason, it's shape is a little fatter and it was wrapped slightly differently - in a twist wrap rather than a sealed one.
This was also baad... it tasted so artificial, like an orange-flavoured Starburst candy or some other artificial chewy candy. Even Morinaga's Hichew orange flavour was nicer than this one.
Not to mention, it was also too sweet.
Score: 0/10
Nougat #6 (Raspberry Nougat)
This was the pink one at the bottom. This one had a milder flavour, but it wasn't too bad. There was also some milky taste, although I've no idea where it comes from, given that there's not a diary ingredient listed. Anyway, it was still artificial tasting and too sweet, like a berry chewy candy.
Score: 1/10
Nougat #7 (Lemon Nougat)
This is the yellow one on the right. Surprisingly, it was much better than the orange one. Tasted like lemon cream with a strong milky or creamy flavour. It wasn't too sweet either, and the nougat went well with the nuts embedded in it.
I've no idea why it's so much better than the rest. *scratch head* I'm wondering if it was a totally different brand and product that snuck itself into this assorted bag... because the "lemon flavour" ingredient was not on the ingredients list. All the other flavours (coffee, pistachio, orange and raspberry) were listed.
Score: 5/10
~~~
Just as a contrast, I tried the Taiwanese nougats of plain and similar flavours (coffee and cranberry) just to compare... and it was a world of a difference! (I had an earlier post on the black sesame flavour from the same brand.) Even just by looking at them, you get the feeling that they're more natural... kinda because they aren't perfect cuboids I suppose. But this is a subjective preference - Montélimar nougats are known for their fluffy texture due to the egg whites. These are more chewy.
The ingredients list featured pure dairy ingredients... butter oil, milk and honey I think. No vegetable oil for sure.
The leftmost one, as you can see, had cranberries embedded in it. It had a rich and natural cranberry flavour, and wasn't too sweet. I felt that the fruit flavour was stronger and more prominent than the sweetness.
Score: 9/10
Nougat #9 (Plain Nougat)
Nice and milky! Heaven to the palate. Not too sweet either. The buttery/milky flavour dominated instead of the sweetness.
Score: 9/10
(Not a perfect 10, because I'd save that last point for some interesting flavour that I hadn't imagined but went surprisingly well as a nougat. It would be a 10/10 for a plain nougat though.)
Nougat #10 (Coffee Nougat)
This is the rightmost brown one. Its coffee flavour was good too, like the French one. The big difference though, is the milky flavour, that made this like a rich and chewy coffee smoothie in my mouth. See the difference the other ingredients make?
Score: 9/10
~~~
From these and the French snacks reviewed in my previous posts, I can't help but conclude that the average French candymakers need to curate their candy flavours better and make sure the flavours they decide to produce make sense. (At least, I'm referring to the common brands. Perhaps the bigger names are awesome. I absolutely loved Ladurée's offerings.) I was disappointed with their candies, given that you'd expect something better than cheap commercial American candies. The flavours of these nougats and the marzipan were just too artificial, and didn't complement the candy base (e.g. the original nougat or marzipan base) well at all.I find the Japanese better at pairing flavours and nuancing them in general... even for common brands like KitKat or some random castella product. And you can get a sense of this in my previous posts.
Having said that of French candies, their pastries and chocolates are still awesome. Even those generic brands purchased from convenience stores are awesome, like the orange fruit cake I posted about earlier.
Of course, I'll have to make the obvious qualification that my exposure is relatively limited. Maybe the candy shops that the tour guide brought my friend on were all substandard. No idea. But they're seasoned travellers, even to Europe, and said the tour guide was good and brought them to many authentic places. *shrug*
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