f you’ve never had torrone before, the holiday season is a good time to try it. Mostly because it’s everywhere. The egg white-based nougat holiday candy with roots in Italy and the Arabic world is popping up, freshly made, in a variety of styles from some of my favorite spots in the city.

You may have seen it in huge blocks at Claudio’s or Di Bruno Bros., where they import it from Italy in chunks, then sell off smaller pieces to the bustling, hungry people who crowd their aisles during the holidays. The most common style of torrone in the U.S. is a hard, crunchy version, filled with almonds and made with sugar, rather than the traditional honey that gives it an appealing, but not overwhelming sweetness.