Sticky, sweet and crunchy — that’s Italian torrone.

This traditional confection is made the time-honored way by hand by Torronificio Trapani in Southern Italy with a family recipe that’s more than 200 years old.

Now, Nudo Italia has made it available in the United States. The gourmet food company sells a 7-ounce, 10-inch-long slab for $15.

Recently, I had a chance to try a sample.

The white nougat looks like Christmas, itself. It’s packed to the gills with almonds, too. Orange honey gives it a rounder flavor. And the bitter edge of the almonds ensures this treat isn’t cloying.

It’s a stick-to-your-teeth candy that’s fairly addictive.

A nice up of tea is a perfect accompaniment, what with its welcome tannins to counteract the sweetness.

Nudo offers a unique way to enjoy its tea by offering a Darjeeling Adopt-A-Tea-Garden program. Here’s how it works: Choose one of five Nudo tea gardens in Darjeeling, India to adopt for a year. Each features a different flavor profile. Then, each quarter for $29 per quarter, you’ll receive a 125-gram tin of loose leaf tea straight from your garden. Each container is enough for 40 cups.

In this way, you’re helping to support a local, family tea farm in India.

You’ll also get quite the tea education in the process by being able to taste tea from the same garden throughout the year, discovering how the flavors change over time. For instance, I found the First Flush (summer harvest) I sampled to be quite delicate and green tasting. In comparison, the Monsoon Flush (winter harvest) was quite robust and earthy.

CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win not only a sample of Nudo Italia’s torrone, but a membership in the Darjeeling Adopt-A-Tea-Garden program that includes an “adoption certificate” plus one shipment of Golden Harvest Darjeeling tea. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Nov. 30. Winner will be announced Dec. 2.

How to win?

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