Candied almonds

Candied almonds or Praline are nuts (usually almonds) of French origin, that have been cooked in a special way, so they end up coated in browned, crunchy sugar. Candied almonds are cooked by heating brown sugar or white sugar, cinnamon and water in a pan then dipping the almonds in the sugar mixture.

The first recipe for candied almonds is said to have been invented in the 17th century by Clément Jaluzot, the head chef of Marshal du Plessis-Praslin (hence the name praline in French). This almonds can be crushed to make praliné, used in pastries, and the sugar is caramelised, giving it a brown colour.

The history of pralines is a bit mysterious, with different stories about their origin, but it is widely agreed that they are named after Marshal du Plessis, Duke of Choiseul-Praslin. There are also claims about the unofficial creator of the praline, with Chef Clement Lassagne being one of the alleged creators.

They are a typical open air fair snack in several countries where they receive different names. In France, praline is the common name but sometimes they are simply called amandes grillées. In Spain they are called garrapiñadas. In Austria, Switzerland and Germany they are called Gebrannte Mandeln. They are also fairly common in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, being frequently sold at Christmas markets, where they are similarly known as brændte mandler, brente mandler and brända mandlar, respectively.