Making Sicilian Sesame nougat Ghiugghiulena Qubbayta with my family

Yesterday, I spent an afternoon with my mother, my daughter, aunt Ninetta and uncle Peppino making a Christmas traditional Sicilian nougat with sesame seeds and almonds called Ghiugghiulena in certain parts of Sicily or Qubbayta in others.
My family in Ispica calls it Ghiugghiulena while the other part of the family, in Modica, uses the word Qubbayta. Both words come from Arabic (the first one is an old way to say sesame the other should mean "mandorlato" but we are not that sure about it) and the recipe itself is one of the many culinary gifts from teh times of the Arab domination of Sicily.
Below you find my recipe, while in the video you will see how my aunt makes it. As usual with traditional dishes there are different versions even within the same family......!
Here is my version for the Sicilian dessert recipes series which has a higher quantity of honey, which I believe makes it easier to stir and also less hard to bite into once it is ready. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

200 gr caster sugar
300 gr honey
500 gr sesame seeds
100 gr almonds with the skin on
1 orange rind
1 lemon

Place the sugar and honey in a pot on a low fire. My aunt Ninetta uses more sugar than I do in her recipe. Add the sesame seeds and keep stirring. Let the sugar dissolve until the mixture will look like a golden syrup. Do not let it burn as soon as the sugar lumps disappear turn off the heat).
After 15 minutes add the almonds and mix well. After 40 minutes great some orange rind in the mixture.

Pour on a flat surface, ideally marble, but if you do not have it use a sheet of parchment paper and place it on a wooden board.
To spread the qubbayta you can use a greased spatula or position another sheet of parchment paper on top and use a rolling pin. My aunt prefers to do it directly on a wooden surface which she wets with water beforehand. Tradition calls for half a lemon to use as a tool in your hands to flatten the surface without burning your hands. This also gives extra flavor to the nougat and makes the surface shiner.
The final result should be a nougat, between 5 mm and 1 cm maximum thick, cut into diamond shaped little portions. Try to cut the pieces while the nougat is still warm.
My aunt has put my uncle Peppino in charge of this part, as she thinks his carpenter’s experience chiseling wood makes him the right person to get perfect diamond shaped ghiugghiulena.