Mantecol is the brand name of a typical dessert of the cuisine of Argentina,[1] a sort of semi-soft nougat made from peanut butter. It was originally created and marketed in the 1940s by the confectionery company Georgalos, founded by a Greek immigrant, Miguel Georgalos, who took inspiration from a dessert in Greek cuisine, halva.[2]
Mantecol is very popular in Argentina, where it is used as daily candy (especially between the months of December and February), as well as classic dessert of the Christmas table.[3]
History
Roots of the dessert can be traced to 1882 in Istanbul, where Juan Georgalos elaborated bread and traded cereals. His son Miguel was expelled (like many other Greeks) from Istanbul in 1921 after a Turkish Government decree. Miguel relocated to Poland where he had family. Those people manufactured and sold halva and taught Miguel Georgalos how to prepare it.[2]