Everything about Marzipan totally explained
» This article is about the food. For the Homestar Runner character, see Marzipan (Homestar Runner)
Marzipan is a
confection consisting primarily of
sugar and ground
almonds.
It derives its characteristic flavor from
bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of the total almond content by weight. Some marzipan is also flavored with
rosewater.
Persipan is a similar product, for which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels.
Marzipan is often made into
sweets: common uses are marzipan-filled
chocolate and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables. It is also rolled into thin sheets and glazed for icing
cakes and is traditionally used in
wedding cakes,
Christmas cakes, and
stollen. In some countries marzipan is shaped into small figures of animals as a traditional treat for
New Year's Day. Marzipan is also used in
Tortell, and in some versions of
king cake eaten during the
Carnival season.
In
Italy, particularly in
Palermo, marzipan (marzapane) is often shaped and painted with food colorings to resemble fruit —
Frutta martorana — especially during the
Christmas season. In
Portugal, traditional marzipan (
maçapão) fruit shaped sweets made in the
Algarve region are called
morgadinhos. There are other regions, as
Toledo in
Spain in which marzipan is shaped into simple animal shapes, and usually filled in with
egg yolk (
yema) and
sugar. In
Latin American cuisine, marzipan is known as
mazapán and is also traditionally eaten at
Christmas, though "Mazapan" is generally made with peanuts in place of almonds. In the Netherlands Marzipan figures are given as presents to children during
Saint Nicholas' Eve.
In the Middle-East, marzipan (known as lozina, which is derived from the word "lows", the Arabic word for almonds) is flavored with orange-flower water and shaped into roses and other delicate flowers before they're baked.
The
South Asian sweet
Badam Barfi, also made from almonds, tastes similar to marzipan.
History
Although it's believed to have originated in
Persia (present-day
Iran) and to have been introduced to Europe through the Turks, there's some dispute between
Hungary and
Italy over its origin. Marzipan became a specialty of the
Baltic Sea region of
Germany. In particular, the city of
Lübeck has a proud tradition of marzipan manufacture (
Lübecker Marzipan). The city's manufacturers like
Niederegger still guarantee their Marzipan to contain two thirds almonds by weight, which results in a juicy, bright yellow product. Historically, the city of
Königsberg in
East Prussia was renowned for its marzipan production. Today, the term
Königsberger Marzipan still refers to a special type of marzipan in Germany.
Another possible geographic origin is
Toledo, Spain (850-900, though more probably 1150 during the reign of
Alfonso VII, then known as
Postre Regio instead of
Mazapán) and
Sicily (1193, known as
panis martius or
marzapane, for example March Bread)
(External Link
). In both cases, there's a reason to believe that there's a clear Arabic influence for historical reasons (both regions were under Muslim control) and there are also mentions in
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights of an almond paste eaten during
Ramadan and as an aphrodisiac
(External Link). Other sources establish the origin of marzipan in China, from where the recipe moved on to the Middle East and then to Europe through
Al-Andalus.
In
Toledo, Mazapán is also one of the city's products. Almonds have to be at least 50% of the total weight, following the directives of
Mazapan de Toledo regulator counseil.
Under
EU law, marzipan must have a minimum
almond oil content of 14% and a maximum moisture content of 8.5%. Optional additional ingredients are
rosewater,
honey,
pistachios,
preservatives, and sometimes hazelnut. In the U.S., marzipan isn't officially defined, but it's generally made with a higher ratio of sugar to almonds than
almond paste. One brand, for instance, has 28% almonds in its marzipan, and 45% almonds in its almond paste. However, in Sweden and Finland
almond paste refers to a marzipan that contains 50% ground almonds, a much higher quality than regular marzipan.
Etymology
The German name has largely ousted the original English name
marchpane with the same apparent derivation: "March bread."
Marzapane is documented earlier in Italian than in any other language, and the sense "bread" for
pan is
Romance. However, the ultimate
etymology is unclear; for example, the Italian word derives from the Latin words "Massa" (itself from Greek "Maza") meaning pastry and "Panem" meaning bread, this can be particularly seen in the Provençal
massapan, and old Spanish
mazapan - the change from 'ss' to 'z' in Latin words was common in old Spanish and the 'r' appeared later. Among the other possible etymologies set forth in the
Oxford English Dictionary, one theory posits that the word "marzipan" may however be a corruption of
Martaban, a
Burmese city famous for its jars.
The
Real Academia Española (External Link) (External Link) suggests the idea of the Spanish word mazapán to be derived from the Hispanic Arabic pičmáṭ, which is derived from the Greek παξαμάδιον.
Trivia
In business, the "marzipan layer" refers to the group of managers just below the highest level of directors or partners. This phrase refers to the fact that in some cakes, a layer of marzipan lies just below the icing.
Chapter 33 of
His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman is titled Marzipan, where the protagonist Lyra is unfamiliar with the word marzipan, but when told that it refers to "[s]weet almond paste", says, "Ah! Marchpane!"
Further Information
Get more info on 'Marzipan'.
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