Marzipan

Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. It derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute up to 12% of the total almond content by weight.^[1]p.594 Some marzipan is also flavored with rosewater. Persipan is a similar, yet less expensive product, for which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels. In Goa (formerly Portuguese India) almonds are replaced by cashews. Many confectionery products sold as marzipan are made from less expensive materials, such as Soy paste and almond essence.^[1]p.594 German marzipan is made by grinding whole almonds with sugar and partially drying the paste, and French marzipan is made by combining ground almonds with sugar syrup.^[2]p.484 Spanish marzipan is made without bitter almonds.^[3]p.288

Marzipan fruit

Fruit shapes molded from marzipan

Marzipan pigs

Cake covered with marzipan

It 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, primarily birthday and wedding cakes and Christmas cakes. This use is particularly common in England, on large fruitcakes. Marzipan (or almond paste) may also be used as a cake ingredient, as in stollen. In some countries, it 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.

Around the world

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 and on Il Giorno dei Morti (the Day of the Dead) on November 2. May 9 and 10 are also special days for eating marzipan in Sicily.^[4] In Portugal, where the confection has been made by nuns since olden times,^[4]p.356 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 Greece and Cyprus marzipan is made in a variety of shapes and sizes and is almost always left white. In the islands of the Aegean in particular, white marzipan is considered a wedding treat and is served to guests at wedding feasts. 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 Mexico it is often hand made as an artisan treat with either peanuts, pistachios or pine nuts. In the Netherlands Marzipan figures are given as presents to children during Saint Nicholas' Eve. In Germany it is common to give marzipan in the shape of a pig as new year presents, known as a "Glücksschwein" (lucky pig). In Geneva, a traditional part of the celebration of L'Escalade is the ritual smashing of a chocolate cauldron filled with marzipan vegetables, a reference to a Savoyarde siege of the city which was supposedly foiled by a housewife with a cauldron of boiling soup. In India, a similar traditional sweet Kaju Barfi is made of cashew nuts, sugar and cream.

In the Middle East, marzipan (known as lozina, which is derived from the word لوز lawz, the Arabic word for almonds) is flavored with orange-flower water and shaped into roses and other delicate flowers before they are baked. Marzipan can also be made from oatmeal, farina, or semolina.^[4]p.245

History

A selection of different marzipan products produced by Niederegger.

There are proposed two lines for its origin; they are not necessarily contradictory but can be complementary, as there have always been Mediterranean trade and cooking influences. In both cases, there is a reason to believe that there is a clear Arabic influence for historical reasons^[5] (both regions were under Muslim control). 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.^[6]

Northeast Mediterranean line

Although it is believed to have originated in Persia (present-day Iran) and to have been introduced to Europe through the Turks, there is 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 (PGI^[7])). 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 of highest quality. 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. In Sicily it was (1193) known as panis martius or marzapane, i.e., March Bread.^[8]

Iberian Peninsula line

Another possible geographic origin is in current Spain, Al-Andalus at that time. In Toledo, Spain (850-900, though more probably 1150 during the reign of Alfonso VII, this specialty was known as Postre Regio instead of Mazapán) 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.^[9] In Toledo, Mazapán is its most famous dessert, (currently created for Christmas) and has PGI status.^[10] Almonds have to be at least 50% of the total weight, following the directives of Mazapán de Toledo regulator counseil'.^[11] Another idea to support this line is the important tradition on another almond-based Christmas candy in Spain: the turron

The EU (before its latest expansion) mapped in marzipan. Made by the Budapest Marzipan Museum

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 is not officially defined, but it is generally made with a higher ratio of sugar to almonds than almond paste'.^[12] 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. In Germany, Lübecker Marzipan is known for its quality. It contains 66% almonds.

Etymology

Frog made of marzipan.

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. The origin could be from the Latin term "martius panis", which means bread of march. However, the ultimate etymology is unclear; for example, the Italian word derives from the Latin words "Massa" (itself from Greek Μάζα "Maza") meaning pastry and "Panem" meaning bread, this can be particularly seen in the Provençal massapan, the Portuguese maçapão (where 'ç' is an alternative form for the phoneme 'ss') 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^[13] suggests the idea of the Spanish word mazapán to be derived from the Hispanic Arabic بسمة pičmáṭ, which is derived from the Greek παξαμάδιον.

Another source could be from Arabic اوثابان mawthaban "king who sits still."^[14]

However, if marzipan has its origin in Persia, it is not unlikely that the name may come from Marzban (in Persian: مرزبان, derived from the words Marz مرز meaning "border" or "boundary" and the suffix -ban بان meaning guardian), a class of margraves or military commanders in charge of border provinces of the Sassanid Empire of Persia (Iran) between 3rd and 7th centuries CE.

It is also a possibility that the origin of this dessert and the origin of the term come from different geographical places.

See also

• Battenberg cake

References

External links

• German Food Guide: Marzipan
• Etymology of "marzipan"
• Gooey dough with the Marzipan brand name