# Torta, yema tostada, suprema, marzipan: a short turrón glossary before Christmas

- Source: https://origenes.shop/en/journal/lexique-du-turron-torta-yema-tostada-supreme-massepain
- Publisher: Orígenes (https://origenes.shop), épicerie fine espagnole en ligne, Villeneuve VD, Suisse
- Date: 2026-10-29
- Langue: en

## The essentials

- Two opposite styles of one tradition: Alicante turrón, hard, with whole almonds set in honey, and Jijona turrón, soft, with toasted almonds ground to a paste.
- To choose, look first at the percentage of almonds, then, for a Jijona or an Alicante, at the Regulatory Council seal.
- The torta is not sliced: it is broken with one sharp press, lying flat in a tea towel.
- Jijona and yema tostada are cut into thin slices; the marzipan figurines are served whole, in a small dish.
- A good festive table brings together four textures: crunchy, soft, caramelised and creamy, dense and melting.

## Six words worth recognising

Tap a card: what the word tells you, and what it does not.

### Jijona

Jijona (Xixona in Valencian) is a village in the province of Alicante, the Spanish home of turrón. Its name also refers to the tender, soft turrón.

**The paste**
Toasted almonds are ground to a paste, then worked with honey. It is slightly oily to the touch and melts slowly.

### Alicante

Alicante turrón is the other great style: whole almonds set in honey, with sugar and egg white, cooked until the paste turns brittle.

**Worth remembering**
Jijona and Alicante belong to the same tradition, but they are opposite textures: one melts, the other crunches.

### IGP

On a turrón, this label shows that the paste falls under a designation, with its own specification and controls.

**Where to look**
Next to the Regulatory Council seal, often with a category such as Suprema.

### Consejo Regulador

This is the body behind the “Jijona” and “Turrón de Alicante” IGPs. Its printed seal is the most reliable mark for these two pastes.

**An example**
You will find it on the Alicante turrón torta from Castillo de Jijona.

### Suprema

This is a Regulatory Council category. The Plaza del Sol Jijona turrón IGP Suprema states 69% toasted almonds in its list of ingredients.

### Extra

You will also see it on the packaging. Rather than comparing the words, compare the percentage of almonds when it is given.

> The almond figure tells you more than the word.

## One texture and one move for each

What the label says, how to cut, when to serve.

### Alicante torta

The same paste as hard turrón, spread into a round. It breaks into shards, like a tuile. The Castillo de Jijona torta weighs 200 g.

**On the label**
- Toasted almonds: 60%
- Honey: 10%
- Egg white
- Wafer of potato starch and sunflower oil

**The move**
Flat inside a clean tea towel, one sharp press with the palm. The shards loose on a board, at the end of the meal with coffee.

> Never a knife: it is made to be broken.

### Jijona IGP Suprema

Plaza del Sol's tender turrón: toasted almonds ground to a paste and worked with honey.

**On the label**
- Toasted almonds: 69%
- Honey: 12%
- IGP Jijona, Suprema category

**The move**
A thin blade, run under hot water and dried. Thin slices, at room temperature, with coffee.

> Cold firms up the paste: take it out ahead of time.

### Yema tostada

An almond paste made with candied egg yolk, its top forming a thin amber crust. The candied yolk gives it its golden colour and flan-like flavour.

**On the label**
- Almonds: 40%
- Candied egg yolk: 23%

**The move**
Thin slices, crust upwards, in a single movement so it does not break. In place of dessert, or alongside it.

> It is rich: a small portion is enough.

### Marzipan figurines

The simplest of all: almonds and sugar worked into a firm paste. The Castillo de Jijona figurines contain 45% almonds and are moulded one by one.

**The move**
Whole, in a small dish, later in the evening on the coffee table. They disappear by themselves.

**Storage**
In a cool place, as the label says.

## Can you read the label at a glance?

Five questions; the answers are in the article.

1. Which turrón is hard, with whole almonds?
   - Alicante turrón
   - Alicante turrón keeps its whole almonds set in honey. Jijona is ground into a soft paste.

2. How do you serve the torta?
   - Break it with one sharp press, flat inside a tea towel
   - With a knife it breaks unevenly. It is made to be broken into shards.

3. One pack says Suprema, the other Extra. What do you compare?
   - The percentage of almonds
   - When it is given, the almond percentage tells you more than the category designation.

4. The Jijona comes out of the fridge. What do you do?
   - Let it come back to room temperature
   - Cold firms up its paste. At room temperature it gets its softness back.

5. What is the oblea?
   - The thin white sheet covering hard turrón, which you eat
   - It stops the paste from sticking. On the Castillo de Jijona torta it is made from potato starch and sunflower oil.


## Article

In December, turrón arrives on the table with its own vocabulary. On the box you read torta, yema tostada, suprema, IGP, sometimes imperial. These are simple words, but they are rarely explained. So people buy more or less at random and end up with three bars that all have the same texture.

Here, then, is a short glossary. Each word takes two lines. By the end, you will know what you are buying, how to cut each paste and when to serve it. You will also be able to put together a festive table where each turrón brings a different texture: crunchy, melting, creamy and soft.

## Words of origin

[](https://origenes.shop/produit/turron-de-jijona-igp-supreme-plaza-del-sol-150-g)

### Jijona (Xixona)

This is a village in the province of Alicante, the Spanish home of turrón. The name also refers to a paste: Jijona turrón, tender and soft.

### Alicante

This is the province, and also the other great style: Alicante turrón, hard, with whole almonds set in honey. Jijona and Alicante belong to the same tradition, but they are two opposite textures.

### IGP

IGP stands for Protected Geographical Indication. On a turrón, this label shows that the paste falls under a designation, with its own specification and controls.

### Regulatory Council (Consejo Regulador)

This is the body that oversees the “Jijona” and “Turrón de Alicante” IGPs. Its seal, printed on the packaging, is the mark to look for. You will find it, for example, on the [Alicante turrón torta](https://origenes.shop/produit/torta-turron-alicante-suprema) from Castillo de Jijona.

### Suprema (Supreme)

This is a Regulatory Council category, printed next to the IGP seal. The [Plaza del Sol Jijona turrón IGP Suprema](https://origenes.shop/produit/turron-de-jijona-igp-supreme-plaza-del-sol-150-g), for example, states 69% toasted almonds in its list of ingredients.

### Extra

This is another category designation you will come across on boxes. Rather than comparing the words with one another, compare the percentage of almonds: when it is given, it tells you more than the word does.

## The shapes: torta, tableta, imperial, figuritas

[](https://origenes.shop/produit/torta-turron-alicante-suprema)

### Tableta (bar)

This is the classic format: a thick rectangle, to be cut with a knife. It is the form in which turrón is most often found.

### Torta

The paste is the same as that of hard turrón, but spread out into a thin round. It is not sliced; it is broken into shards, a little like a tuile. This is the case with the [Castillo de Jijona torta](https://origenes.shop/produit/torta-turron-alicante-suprema), which weighs 200 g.

### Imperial

The word is mostly seen on boxes of hard turrón, often next to torta. It does not tell the whole story on its own: the format and the list of ingredients tell you more. If you read “torta imperial”, expect something crunchy.

### Oblea (wafer paper)

This is the thin white sheet that covers the top and bottom of hard turrón. It stops the paste from sticking and it is edible. On the Castillo de Jijona torta, it is made from potato starch and sunflower oil.

### Figuritas (figurines)

These are small pieces of marzipan, moulded one by one. In Spain, they are a Christmas sweet for festive tables, set out in a small dish.

## The pastes: from crunchy to melting

[](https://origenes.shop/produit/turron-yema-tostada-suprema)

### Turrón duro

This is Alicante turrón: whole almonds, honey, sugar and egg white, cooked until the paste turns brittle. You can hear it crunch under the tooth.

### Turrón blando

This is Jijona turrón: toasted almonds are ground to a paste, then worked with honey. The result is soft, slightly oily to the touch, and it melts slowly.

### Yema tostada

This is an almond paste made with candied egg yolk, its top caramelised like a crème brûlée. The [Castillo de Jijona yema tostada](https://origenes.shop/produit/turron-yema-tostada-suprema) combines 40% almonds and 23% candied egg yolk.

### Yema confitada (candied yolk)

This is egg yolk cooked with sugar until it becomes a thick cream. It is what gives the yema its golden colour and its flan-like flavour.

### Tostada (caramelised)

The word indicates that the top is caramelised, like a crème brûlée. It forms a thin amber crust that answers the sweetness of the paste.

### Mazapán (marzipan)

This is the simplest of all: almonds and sugar, worked into a firm, dense paste. The [Castillo de Jijona marzipan figurines](https://origenes.shop/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema) contain 45% almonds.

## What you read in the list of ingredients

[](https://origenes.shop/produit/torta-turron-alicante-suprema)

- **Almendra tostada (toasted almond)**: this is what gives the flavour. Its percentage appears in the list: 60% in the torta, 69% in the Plaza del Sol Jijona.

- **Miel (honey)**: it binds the paste and gives it its fragrance. The torta contains 10%, the Plaza del Sol Jijona 12%.

- **Clara de huevo (egg white)**: whisked, then cooked with the honey, it gives hard turrón its structure and its snap.

- **Allergens**: all of these turrones contain almonds. The torta, the yema and the Jijona also contain egg, and the yema contains milk. Statements about traces are on each label.

To choose, look first at the percentage of almonds, then, for a Jijona or an Alicante, at the Regulatory Council seal.

## In practice: cutting, serving, composing the table

[](https://origenes.shop/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema)

### How to cut each paste

- **Torta**: no knife. Lay it flat inside a clean tea towel and press down sharply with the palm of your hand. Serve the shards loose on a board.

- **Jijona**: use a thin blade, run under hot water and then dried. Cut thin slices, as the label advises.

- **Yema tostada**: cut thin slices, crust upwards, in a single movement so as not to break it. It is rich, so a small portion is enough.

- **Marzipan**: the figurines are served whole, in a small dish.

### At what point in the meal

- **At the end of the meal, with coffee**: the Jijona in thin slices, then a few shards of torta for crunch.

- **In place of dessert, or alongside it**: the yema tostada, which links up with egg-based desserts.

- **Later, on the coffee table**: the marzipan figurines, which disappear all by themselves as the evening goes on.

### A table with no repeated textures

With four pastes, you cover a wide range:

- crunch with the [Alicante turrón torta](https://origenes.shop/produit/torta-turron-alicante-suprema);

- softness with the [Jijona turrón IGP Suprema](https://origenes.shop/produit/turron-de-jijona-igp-supreme-plaza-del-sol-150-g);

- caramelised creaminess with the [yema tostada](https://origenes.shop/produit/turron-yema-tostada-suprema);

- density and melt-in-the-mouth richness with the [marzipan figurines](https://origenes.shop/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema).

### Mistakes to avoid

- **Serving the turrón too cold**: cold firms up the Jijona paste. Serve it at room temperature. For storage, follow the label: dry and away from heat for the Plaza del Sol Jijona, in a cool place for the marzipan.

- **Slicing the torta with a knife**: it breaks unevenly. It is made to be broken.

- **Buying two bars with the same texture**: two hard turrones, for example, make for a monotonous table. Think in terms of textures rather than brands.

- **Cutting too thick**: turrón is dense and sweet. Thin slices let you taste a bit of everything.

- **Opening every box at once**: open them as you go, and close the opened box properly.

## Produits cités (prix et stock à jour)

- Torta de turrón de Alicante — qualité suprême (200 g) — 12.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/torta-turron-alicante-suprema
- Turrón yema tostada (jaune d'œuf caramélisé) — qualité suprême (200 g) — 10.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/turron-yema-tostada-suprema
- Turrón de Jijona IGP, qualité suprême – Plaza del Sol (150 g) — 6.50 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/turron-de-jijona-igp-supreme-plaza-del-sol-150-g
- Figurines de massepain — qualité suprême (100 g) — 7.90 CHF — disponible — https://origenes.shop/en/produit/figuritas-mazapan-suprema

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