brittle a very hard confection usually made from plain sugar syrup cooked almost or actually to the caramel stage and poured over nuts. Brittle is a simple and ancient sweet, and has been made for centuries in many countries. It is very similar to some dark types of nougat made with honey and nuts only (no egg white). Two examples are the Provençal croquant made with sugar, honey, and almonds; and Italian croccante with sugar, sometimes a little butter (which makes it less hard), and almonds.
Similar confections of nuts, especially pistachios, almonds, and cashews, or sesame seeds, are popular in parts of the Arabic-speaking world. Versions of nut and sesame seed brittle are to be found in many parts of Asia; from the Afghan hasta shireen and the Iranian sohan asali (best from the holy city of Qum, according to Nesta Ramazani, 1974) to regions further east, where some are based on jaggery (see palm sugar). Peanut brittle is a popular sweet in N. America.
