divinity is a kind of nouget..-which is a kind of merangue.

for proper nougat, you beat egg whites to peaks, and then add hot syrup (made with honey traditionally) the acid in the honey make the whites beat up even fluffier (just as 'cream of tartar' does--cream of tartar is a mild acidic compound)

nougat varies by the thickness (soft ball, hard ball, crack) of the syrup, the percentage of honey, and skill of candy maker. traditionally, nuts are added too.usually chopped almonds. nougat can be as soft as 'milkyway bar' or hard and chewy (chunks can be found in many tolberone bars)

all candy varies by the sugar used to make it. (the same candy made with cane sugar syrup or honey or a mixture, will come out different--its partly to do with the crystaline structure of the sugar used)
divinity is made with corn syrup, --which is very different than cane sugar--(its higher in fructose, so its sweet spoonful for spoonful)so nougat made with corn syrup is not at all like 'old word nougat' --is so different, its a different candy really. (just like UK english and US english are at times so different, they are almost different languages!)

did i ever mention, i went through a candy making craze for a while? most 'candy makers' just buy chocolate (or worse, fake chocolate!) melt it and shape it..Not me, i went in for making real candy.. Creams, (vanila creams) and nougats, and hard candy (lollypops), caramels and all sorts of candy.(even made liquid center chocolate covered cherries.. (an unsaturated solution, of several sugars. at room temp, and exposed to air, its a 'solid cream', but enclose it, and it re-liquifes-- wrap the cherry in the solid cream, dip in chocolate, and in 24 hours, 'center' is liquid again!)

learned alot about sugars, (cane, raw, brown, corn sypup, treacle, maple, ) more than i care to often admit too.


my other obsession