"We need to make the product cheaper. What is cheaper than corn syrup?" "Um... Air?" "Get this man a promotion."

It's basically chocolate styrofoam. Little known fact: After it's aged long enough, nougat turns into oldgat.

In Denmark (and I think germany) when we say nougat, we are always referring to Wiener nougat, which is made with cocoa and hazelnuts. It is not airy and comes in a firmer block, a bit like butter

Fun fact: honey-almond nougat is its own kind of candy, with a much more firm and chewy texture; traditionally it's sold on its own in flat, wide bars or in squares. (the little chewy pieces of nougat in tolberone are reminiscent of that kind of nougat, which is why it's made with honey)

Ah yes, the four elements: protein, sugar, water and air.

Just realized nougat is a completely different thing here in Europe. It's a sweet hazelnut paste. Never realized up till now.

I’m not sure if the word nougat is used differently in the US. But here in Europe „nougat“ is a very broad term. Most nougat I know doesn’t have any air in it. Like the spanish „turrón“ which has either a soft texture like marzipan or is hard like Candy (with whole nuts in it). Dark nougat is actually made mainly from hazelnuts and chocolate and is usually a soft cream (without air) much like Nutella

It’s weird that this is considered nougat, but nougat as I grew up to know it, is a hard honey candy often with nuts added in. I was surprised to not hear from it in the video. They make the most delicious nougat in Sardinia, which is completely different from the nougat in candy bars

I was shocked to see Professor Richard Hartel! He is my major advisor at UW Madison and teaches candy science. His office is like Willy Wonka's factory and he's really cool!

"What is Nougat?" * Immediately gives answer alongside scientific expert and digs deeper without any fluff * *-->Instantly subscribed*

My mom always said candy-making depended a lot on the weather outside, so she only made certain candies at certain times of the year, but she never knew the science behind it. Now I understand. I guess if she had known she could just tweak the recipe to make up for it she could've made candy anyways

Back when I was working in retail hell and things were so slow and I was dying of boredom, I discovered that you can actually shape and sculpt 3 musketeers filling a lot like clay! You’d need a bowl of ice water for dipping your hands in to keep the material pliable as you shape. It can cure by air drying, it’s kinda neat. But clay is better if you’ve got it lol 😅

Nougats taste really good, so im guessing thats why

I like how you keep saying the word protein. It makes me feel like I’m being healthier with each snickers.

Almost 20 years ago, I was a touring musician, and I had an opportunity to tour around England. Definitely enjoyed noting the differences in our respective candies. Snickers bars there really struck me as being noticeably different, but I can’t put my finger on it. Oh, and those English £uckers got like 15 flavors of Kit Kats other than chocolate! Jealous…

I just want to acknowledge the proffesionalism and art that it takes to run such a factory. It's great seeing those sort of traditions being kept alive!

I have no idea why KZfaq recommended this to me, but I'm glad they did, because I've been wondering this for a while.

I was initially confused by the title, since I thought everyone knew that nougat is made from hazelnuts. Turns out in Denmark, what we exclusively call nougat is internationally known as "wiener nougat".

You deliver excellent content to your audience. It's very interesting material. All of your effort put into creating this video is much appreciated. I'm truly grateful for your help!

Wow! This is like a whole other universe! Great job and thanks to Dr. Hartlel!

Hey Adam, I just want to say it's really impressive how you've been able to incorporate a lot of your local and regional establishments into your videos. I would imagine it takes a little more legwork to find content that way, but I find your approach very refreshing.

I think a lot of europeans will make themselves heard on this one! There are even more kinds of nougat. I grew up in central europe where nougat is a dense, slightly crumbly paste made from hazelnuts. Wikipedia calls it "german nougat". Then there is the fancy "white nougat" which I assume western europeans would recognize as nougat (french/belgian people especially). American nougat is basically white nougat but cost-optimized and engineered to death/perfection. Then there's "brown nougat" which is more in the hard-candy territory and imho a pain to eat. EDIT: My intention was not to attack Adam's video (which is great as always), or to suggest european nougat is somehow better. Just wanted to contribute to the discussion :)

Oh wow! Those pecan logs are so good. I remember my grandparent s would bring us back those whenever they’d come back (to Canada) from vacations in Florida.

I really appreciate how in depth you went. Thanks!

My father was born in 1919. He and I were enjoying candy bars one day when he told me that in his youth, the Three Musketeers bar was actually constructed in three parts, joined by a chocolate covering. One part was chocolate nougat, one strawberry, and one vanilla, if I remember his description correctly. Our conversation took place around 1955, and at that time candy bars cost five cents, and ranged in weight from about 1 1/2 to a full 2 ounces. If I remember correctly, the larger size of Baby Ruth bar at that time was a dime and weighed four ounces.

Duke Nougat: "It's time to kick ass and chew caramel; anditsallstuckinmygums".

Just stumbled upon this channel. Love the scientific approach - well done!

This might be my favorite episode of yours, yet. Thanks so much for this!

I know his son's were so excited when Adam got back from the store

"The more air you can sell, the more money you can make." Knew it.

Your videos address questions I’ve had at some point. Good Job picking up such topics!

Over here in europe the white nougat is known as french nougat or turkish nougat. There is another type of nougat thats made mainly from hazelnuts. The latter is a LOT more tasty but quite a bit more expensive as well. French/Turkish Nougat is actually dryed to a poin that it's breakable and usually includes pistacios. It's not bad either but as it has a VERY high sugar part you cant eat a lot of it :-D

they always say "What is Nougat??" but never "How is Nougat??" :'(

I’m always impressed how much work you put in these videos to get professionals to talk about the topic. It’s awesome

New subscriber here. This is an excellent video, mixing a bit of ELI5 with some of the more complex science. It feels like this is well researched and I found a suprising amount of depth to make sure the viewer left with a better understanding of the subtle differences of Nougat vs. simlar confectionary products. Well done! Looking forward to viewing more of your videos.

Amazing vid. Understanding how sugar texture/air etc affects the final result can be applied to cooking in general

*It's all just sugar?"* *always has been* *bang*

"The more air you sell, the more money you make" ... potato chip makers: STONKS!

Great vid for a geek like me who cooks and wants to know everything. I am impressed by how good your vids are! Thx for doing!

I worked for many years in the sector, and I really liked your video, excellent.

Finished my food science degree in the last week, with a dissertation in cocoa butter crystallisation. This explains some core concepts so concisely without dumbing things down too much.

This has so much “Good Eats” vibes. AB would be proud.

Thank you for this informative video. I’ve always wondered why nougat comes in so many textures. My favorite is the firmer nougat in Snickers.

I make candy as a hobby (fudge mostly) and I still find it so fascinating how changing something small like 1 ingredient or 10 degrees of temperature can change what is produced SO drastically.

I'm not even disappointed that nougat is a way to sell air as part of one's product. The nougat-less Aero and Crunch bars are two of my favorite things ever; one has air pockets, and the other has puffed rice, which has its own air pockets. I might be getting less actual mass of candy, but the mouthfeel makes up for it, by far. I feel more that not getting less candy, but am gaining a better experience in enjoying it.

Europe: we have this really nice creamy but almost solid thing made of nuts. it's called nougat. America: right so we make this sugar

Thank you for the informative video about nougat and thank you to the professor for the additional information too! 👏

Thank you! I have wondered about nougat for a very long time!

"Three Musketeers" were called that because the originally had two dents or impressions in the top, so you could (theoretically) break them in three pieces and share them with friends. They're so much smaller now that the company doesn't bother any more. And they cost ten times as much.

As a European, im highly confused now because here in Europe (or at least in Germany and its neighbours) nougat is always considered a solid or paste thats based on nuts (primairly hazelnuts if im not mistaken) EDIT: reading a bit through the comments it seems that the definition of nougat varies wildly between various countries

I love your videos. So interesting to see how certain foods are made.

Well, to add more complexity to the discussion: "The nougat that appears in many candy bars in the United States and United Kingdom differs from traditional recipes and consists of sucrose and corn syrup aerated with a whipping agent (such as egg white, hydrolyzed soya protein or gelatine); it may also include vegetable fats and milk powder. " So, I guess it's a different kind of nougat - and what we expect today as nougat, isn't it? Well, I guess it depends on your geographical location, because nougat to me - and I'm only 54 - is absolutely NOT what they put in modern confectionary. It is, in fact, this: "Nougat is a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, and macadamia nuts are common), whipped egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit. The consistency of nougat is chewy, and it is used in a variety of candy bars and chocolates." So, that's weird - through the entire video (and a good video it is too!), no mention is made of the nuts or the candied fruit. To me, nougat is exactly the description above, it's a chewy mix of nuts and candied fruit in sugar and whipped egg whites - and it is often "protected" from being too sticky to hold in your fingers, by a thin sprinkling of ... well, I guess flour of some kind? I think this is where the USA ... and to some extent, the UK ... veer off a cliff in terms of what nougat actually is. Having said that, when I was a nipper (a young child), the kind of nougat I associate with the term, was common - it wasn't "within" a chocolate bar (candy bar), it was it's own thing. It was a chewy mass of nuts and fruit. It was also _ridiculously_ sweet - I mean, your teeth falling out as you eat it sweet. So, yeah, this leads to further confusion as the video makes the assumption (and it is a super valid and good video), that nougat is just the stuff you put _inside_ a "candy bar", rather than something edible as a "bar" in its own right. And that is what nougat is for me and always will be. The stuff inside a snickers bar? - not nougat. Totally NOT nougat... ... but then, hold on, a snickers bar has some nuts in it - just not in the "nougat" like stuff - so, I guess it's "deconstructed nougat"? So, snickers is actually pretty close to how nougat actually should be. I'll get my coat ...

Soo happy he's almost at 1M!! Been watching him when he had less than 25K

1:20 “ the air content, the water content,” The earth content and the fire content

Yum! My mom cooked all sorts of candies and I do every now and then. Very interesting.

WOW! I was not expecting to get such a chemistry lesson on this adventure to the KZfaqs. Great video!

Saw your interview in Slate. Congrats on making it from a person writing the articles to a person being written about.

"...because more air in it, more profit you get." Kinda true for every industry.

Omg A M A Z I N G explanation ....thank you SO much !!! Never thought this was going to be as informative

My Granny used to make all kinds of sweets for the holidays - fudge, divinity, penuche, peanut brittle, and on and on.

calling divinity a "grandma treat" is probably the most accurate thing i've ever heard

KZfaq: What's nougat? Me, who doesn't even like nougat: Well, well, well, let's find out

This came up in my feed because I have been thinking (only thinking, the internet is reading my mind) about making Snickers bars. I have been wondering how to make the nougat. Thank you for the video!

This was a particularly excellent episode, IMHO. Well done. 👍

Ok so basically: 1. Sucrose regularly crystalizes, monosaccharides don't. More crystals means a cleaner break and less stretchiness. 2. More water = more pliability and boiling sugar to different temperatures just changes the amount of water you take out. 3. Proteins that form helices provide more springiness. 4. More air makes a lighter, fluffier product. Got it.

I like the new “How It’s Made” narrator!

Most people hate 3-Musketeers, but me being a Brazilian, I love it. In Brazil almost all Néstle products have nougat, and my Mom loves it, so I must too!

I've driven by that place so many times. It never looked like they were still in business. Glad to see a hometown familiar out here on the webs

No mention of french nougat D: (nougat de Montélimar)... When I think of nougat, I think of a standalone product (i.e. not in a chocolate bar), with almonds and a pretty strong taste of honey.

11:02 - Thus, the Aero bar! Mmmmm, chocolate-covered air...

Over a year later, I just want to say that this was the video that first caught my eye. Binged that night and subscribed.

I love Milky way and Snickers... Nougat is absolutely amazing especially when combined with Caramel or Nuts of some kind. We really created quite an art with candy bars here in the US.

I've been had. I was lured in with chocolate and was instead given a science lesson.

Things I learned from this video: 1. I would like some divinity right now. 2. I REALLY want a pecan log right now. 3. What nougat really is.

Nougat is one of my favorite holiday treats!!

i love nougat, i had green nougat once since its so popular in my country and it was so good

I really like how Adam gets professionals into some of his videos. Not saying other food channels are inferior without it but it's just nice.

Does this mean we're getting a nougat recipe? I hope so, I've been looking for a good one, and I'm pretty sure that yours would be great

this episode was cool in western NY we make sponge candy which is a sort of crystalized nougat which has some really cool food chemistry going on there. probably a great episode there

I love Italian meringue on a white cake with sliced strawberries. My mom made this treat when I was a young boy!

Ragusea answering questions I never knew to ask.

I especially love Kanye and Jay Z's song about eating nougat in France: Nougat in Paris

I've been watching a couple of your videos in this video particularly reminds me of the TV show Good eats. Great show. Great video

Thanks for the candy science lesson. Some of this stuff might come in handy in adapting candy recipes to have low carbs. Corn Syrup--> Allulose Syrup & Sucrose-->Erythritol maybe

Any other Non-americans here being like: "Wait? This is not nougat"

Just as a point of pedantry that I think you'll appreciate as a person who values accuracy and specificity, the word is "hygroscopic", not "hydroscopic". Great video. Cheers!

I love factories like Crown Confectionery! A company that has been making traditional sweets for over a century, that's fantastic. They know what their customers want and they consistently and reliably provide it. Doing this on a smaller scale means there is more attention to detail and better quality control than at a larger, more automated facility. Here's wishing them another successful century of making sweeties!

That was the most delicous science explanation I've ever watched.

it’s so weird hearing about different things in the south bc as i age i realize y’all have a completely different culture 😂 like i’ve lived in this country for 18 years, literally never even left it, and somehow no one ever told me that “divinity” is a thing

"Why is it in every candy bar?" Simplified answer: Because the more aerated a food is the more profit they make.

Respect for answering the question in the first 27 seconds of the video rather than dangling the answer on a thread… sticking around for the whole thing.

Love how quick this video was to answer the question

We gotta appreciate the amount of effort he puts into these videos; from the editing, the research, the professionals, and the whole dumbing it down so the general public (like me) can understand. Such great work

looks like american nougat is a totally different thing than european nougat

In France (and maybe around as well) we eat the white nougat with sprinkles of almonds or nuts, it's delicious you should try

Finally after all my years of searching across the internet, ive found it, the video explaining nougat

Ah yes the 4 elements: air, water, sugar, and protein

Excellent video Mr. Abrams.

I like how I could hear this video before I clicked on it. Your video speaking style is very distinct.

Adam having a cheat day, eating a candy bar: "But why?"