Marzipan

Marzipan

Plain marzipan being rolled flat
Alternative names	Marzapane, marchpane
Type	Confectionery
Main ingredients	Almond meal, sugar
Variations	Persipan, frutta martorana
Media: Marzipan

Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal (ground almonds), sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract.

Contents

• Around the world
• Europe
• Middle East
• The Americas
• Asia
• History
• Northeast Mediterranean line
• Iberian Peninsula line
• Variations
• Etymology
• Production
• Science
• Molecular composition
• Physical structure
• See also
• Notes
• References
• Works cited
• External links

It is often made into sweets; common uses are chocolate-covered marzipan and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables. It can also be used in biscuits or rolled into thin sheets and glazed for icing cakes, primarily birthday cakes, wedding cakes and Christmas cakes. Marzipan may also be used as a baking ingredient, as in stollen or banket. In some countries, it is shaped into small figures of animals as a traditional treat for New Year's Day or Christmas. Marzipan is also used in Tortell, and in some versions of king cake eaten during the Carnival season. ^[1]

Around the world

Europe

The Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union recognize two marzipans in Europe: one in Toledo (Spain) ^[2] and one in Lübeck (Germany). ^[3]

Southern Europe

In Spain, marzipan is a traditional Christmas dessert (mazapán), although in Toledo, where the first written reference of this product dates back to 1512, it is eaten all year round. In Italy, particularly in Palermo, marzipan (marzapane) is often shaped and painted with food colourings to resemble fruit— frutta martorana —especially during the Christmas season and on Il Giorno dei Morti (All Souls' Day) on November 2. May 9 and 10 are also special days for eating marzipan in Sicily. ^[4] In Portugal, where the confection has been traditionally made by nuns, ^[5] marzipan (maçapão) is used to make fruit-shaped sweets; in the Algarve region in particular it is a very common sweet, where it is shaped like fruits and filled with Fios de ovos. There are other regions, as Toledo in Spain in which marzipan (mazapán) is shaped into simple animal shapes, and sometimes 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.^{[ citation needed ]} In the islands of the Aegean in particular, white marzipan is considered a wedding treat and is served to guests at wedding feasts.^{[ citation needed ]} In Malta, marzipan is used as a filling in the traditional Maltese Easter treats called figolli (singular: figolla). It is also popular in Turkey, where it is called badem ezmesi. There are two regional variations registered in the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. ^[6]

Northern Europe

In Denmark, Sweden and Norway, it is customary to snack on marzipan pigs around Christmas, marzipan shaped as eggs around Easter, and kransekage on New Year's Eve. ^{[7] [8]} It is also used in a large variety of cakes and confectioneries unrelated to the holidays, including træstammer, gåsebryst, and napoleonshatte, and as an ingredient in remonce-filling for Danish pastry. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

In Maiasmokk café in Tallinn, Estonia, there is a small museum dedicated to the history and manufacture of marzipan. ^[12]

Traditional Swedish princess cake is typically covered with a layer of marzipan that has been tinted pale green or pink.

Traditional Finnish Käpykakku is typically coated with a layer of marzipan, which is dark brown color and Conifer cone-shaped and spiky.

Western and Central Europe

In Belgium and the Netherlands, marsepein ('marzipan') figures are given as Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) presents.

In France, massepain is the specialty of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, a town in Limousin. It comes in biscuit shape. It is also prepared in Gironde, it is named Girondin pudding made from hard bread, brown sugar and flavored with raisins soaked in rum. ^{[13] [14]}

In Germany, it is common to gift marzipan in the shape of a loaf of bread (Marzipanbrot) or in the shape of small potatoes (Marzipankartoffeln  [ de ]) during Christmas time. Stollen can contain marzipan, and it is often featured as an ingredient in seasonal baked goods, such as Bethmännchen, Dominosteine and other Christmas cookies. One traditional new year present is known as a Glücksschwein ('lucky pig'). Mozartkugeln are a famed export of Austria made of marzipan balls dipped in dark chocolate.

In the United Kingdom, celebratory fruitcakes are decorated with a layer of marzipan –particularly Christmas cake which is covered with white sugar icing, and at Easter the Simnel cake contains a layer of marzipan, a further layer decorates the top and is lightly grilled or toasted to colour it. Battenberg cake, which originates in England, is covered in a layer of marzipan. ^[15]

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 Savoyard siege of the city which was supposedly foiled by a housewife with a cauldron of boiling soup.

History

There are two proposed lines of origin for marzipan; they are not necessarily contradictory and may be complementary, as there have always been Mediterranean trade and cooking influences. ^[21] 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. ^[22]

Northeast Mediterranean line

Although it is believed to have been introduced to Eastern Europe through the Turks (in badem ezmesi), and most notably produced in Edirne), there is some dispute between Hungary and Italy over its origin. Marzipan became a specialty of the Hanseatic League port towns. In particular, the cities of Lübeck and Tallinn have a proud tradition of marzipan manufacture. Examples include Lübecker Marzipan, which has Protected geographical indication (PGI) status. ^[23] The city's manufacturers such as Niederegger still guarantee their marzipan to contain two-thirds almonds by weight, which results in a product of highest quality. Historically, the city of Königsberg in East Prussia was also renowned for its distinctive marzipan production. Königsberg marzipan remains a special type of marzipan in Germany that is golden brown on its surface and sometimes embedded with marmalade at its centre. ^{[lower-alpha 1]}

In the United States, marzipan is not officially defined, but it is generally made with a higher ratio of sugar to almonds than almond paste. ^[25] One brand, for instance, has 28% almonds in its marzipan, and 45% almonds in its almond paste. ^{[26] [27]} 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. ^[28] The original manually produced Mozartkugeln are made from green pistachio marzipan.

Iberian Peninsula line

Another possible geographic origin is the parts of Spain that were known as Al-Andalus. In Toledo (850–900, though more probably 1150 during the reign of Alfonso VII) this specialty was known as Postre Regio (instead of Mazapán). There are also mentions in the folktale collection, One Thousand and One Nights of an almond paste eaten during Ramadan and as an aphrodisiac. ^[29] Mazapán is Toledo's most famous dessert, often created for Christmas, and has PGI status. ^[30] For this, almonds have to be at least 50% of the total weight, following the directives of Mazapán de Toledo regulator council. ^[31] Another idea to support this line is the important tradition of another Spanish almond-based Christmas confectionery, the turrón .

Variations

Persipan is a similar, but less expensive product, in which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels. Many confectionery products sold as marzipan are made from less expensive materials, such as soy paste and almond essence. ^[32] To control and detect the authenticity of marzipan, polymerase chain reaction methods can differentiate almonds from substitutes and adulterants at concentrations of less than one percent. ^[33] German marzipan is made by grinding whole almonds with sugar and partially drying the paste, and French marzipan (called massepain) is made by combining ground almonds with sugar syrup. ^[34] Some marzipan is flavoured with rosewater. Spanish marzipan is made without bitter almonds. In the United States, bitter almonds are not used in marzipan because the importation of bitter almonds into the country is prohibited by US law, owing to them containing a substance related to cyanide. ^[35] Sugar-free marzipan can be made by replacing sugar with polyols such as maltitol. ^[36] Varieties made with other types of nuts are eaten in Latin America, and peanut-based marzipan is the most common variety in Mexico. ^[19]

Etymology

The German name has largely ousted the original English name marchpane with the same apparent derivation: 'March bread'. (The word marchpane occurs in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Act 1, Scene 5, Line 9.) Marzapane is documented earlier in Italian than in any other language, and the term pan meaning 'bread' originates in Romance languages. The origin could be from the Latin term martius panis, which means bread of March. In Johann Burchard’s Diarium curiae romanae (1483–1492) the Latin form appears as martiapanis. ^[37]

The ultimate etymology is unclear; for example, the Italian word derives from the Latin words "Massa" (itself from Greek Μάζα "Maza") meaning pastry and "Pan" meaning bread, this can be particularly seen in the Provençal massapan, in Catalan massapà, the Portuguese maçapão (where 'ç' is an alternative letter for the phoneme usually expressed by 'ss') and old Spanish mazapán – 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 proposes that the word "marzipan" may be a corruption of Martaban, a Burmese city famous for its jars. ^[37]

The Real Academia Española suggests the Spanish mazapán is perhaps derived from the Hispanic Arabic بسمة, pičmáṭ, from the Greek παξαμάδιον, paxamádion ('little cake'). ^[38]

Another possible source is from Arabic : موثابانmawthābān 'king who sits still'. ^[39] The Arabic, Latinised as matapanus, was used to describe a Venetian coin depicting an enthroned Christ the King. ^[40] These coins were stored in ornate boxes. From about the fifteenth century, when the coins were no longer in circulation, the boxes became decorative containers for storing and serving luxury sweetmeats. One such luxury that crept into the box in the sixteenth century is the now-famous almond-flavoured marzipan, named (at least proximately) after the box in which it was stored. ^[37]

Production

To produce marzipan, raw almonds are cleaned "by sieving, air elutriation, and other electronic or mechanical devices", ^[32] then immersed in water with a temperature just below the boiling point for about five minutes, in a process known as blanching. This loosens the almonds' skin, which is removed by passing the almonds through rubber-covered rotating cylinders. ^[41] They are then cooled, after which they are coarsely chopped and ground, with up to 35% sugar, into almond flour. ^[41] In the traditional production of marzipan raw filler, a similar process is followed: Sweet almonds are scalded, peeled on rubber-covered rolls, coarsely chopped, and then ground with the addition of not more than 35% of sucrose. ^[41]

The almond flour mixture is roasted and cooled, after which sucrose (table sugar) and possibly a binding agent such as starch syrup or sorbitol are added. ^[41] It may then be moulded into any shape. Marzipan must be covered in an airtight container to prevent it from hardening and dehydrating. It should be protected from direct light to prevent rancidity of the almond oil, resulting from lipid oxidation. ^[41]

Science

Molecular composition

The aroma and flavor of marzipan can in part be attributed to benzaldehyde, which is formed from amygdalin

See also

Notes

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Marchpane". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Related Research Articles

Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories: bakers' confections and sugar confections.

Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate and which share features with desserts such as pastries, meringues, custards, and pies.

Dutch cuisine is formed from the cooking traditions and practices of the Netherlands. The country's cuisine is shaped by its location on the fertile Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta at the North Sea, giving rise to fishing, farming, and overseas trade. Due to the availability of water and flat grassland, the Dutch diet contains many dairy products such as butter and cheese. The court of the Burgundian Netherlands enriched the cuisine of the elite in the Low Countries in the 15th and 16th century, so did in the 17th and 18th century colonial trade, when the Dutch ruled the spice trade, played a pivotal role in the global spread of coffee, and started the modern era of chocolate, by developing the Dutch process chocolate.

Stollen is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar and often containing marzipan. It is a traditional German Christmas bread. During the Christmas season the cake-like loaves are called Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. A ring-shaped Stollen made in a Bundt cake or Gugelhupf pan is called a Stollenkranz.

Simnel cake is a fruitcake associated with Lent and Easter and widely eaten in England, Ireland and countries with patterns of migration from them. It is distinguished by layers of almond paste or marzipan, typically one in the middle and one on top, and a set of eleven balls made of the same paste. It was originally made for the fourth Sunday in Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, the Refreshment Sunday of Lent, Mothering Sunday, the Sunday of the Five Loaves, or Simnel Sunday; named after the cake. In the United Kingdom, it is now commonly associated with Mothering Sunday and Easter Sunday.

Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar in equal quantities, with small amounts of cooking oil, beaten eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup added as a binder. It is similar to marzipan, but has a coarser texture. Almond paste is used as a filling in pastries, but it can also be found in chocolates. In commercially manufactured almond paste, ground apricot or peach kernels are sometimes added to keep the cost down.

In many European countries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, there are various traditions surrounding the use of bread during the Easter holidays. Traditionally the practice of eating Easter bread or sweetened "communion" bread traces its origin back to Byzantium, Eastern Catholicism and the Orthodox Christian church. The recipe for sweetened or "honey-leavened" bread may date back as far as the Homeric Greek period based on anecdotal evidence from classical texts.

A Konditorei is a business that typically offers a wide variety of pastries and typically also serves as a café. Konditoreien (plural) are found in many countries including but not limited to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Denmark, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. In French-speaking countries, similar businesses are referred to as pâtisseries.

Cake decorating is the art of decorating a cake for special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, baby showers, national or religious holidays, or as a promotional item.

Mazurek is a variety of cake baked in Poland for Easter. It has a flat shape and is very sweet.

The holiday of Easter is associated with various Easter customs and foodways. Preparing, coloring, and decorating Easter eggs is one such popular tradition. Lamb is eaten in many countries, mirroring the Jewish Passover meal.

A spit cake is a European-styled cake made with layers of dough or batter deposited, one at a time, onto a tapered cylindrical rotating spit. The dough is baked by an open fire or a special oven, rotisserie-style. Generally, spit cakes are associated with celebrations such as weddings and Christmas. The spit can be dipped in a thin dough, or the dough can be poured or rolled on the spit.

The Dutch letter is a type of pastry that is typically prepared using a mixture of flour, eggs and butter or puff pastry as its base and filled with almond paste, dusted with sugar and shaped in an "S" or other letter shape. Marzipan, an almond paste prepared with almond meal and honey or sugar, is sometimes used as the filling. The Dutch letter has a porous or airy and flaky texture.

References

Works cited

• Barer-Stein, Thelma (1999). You Eat What You Are: People, Culture and Food Traditions . Firefly Books. ISBN   1-55209-365-4.
• Belitz, Hans-Dieter; Grosch, Werner; Schieberle, Peter (2009). Food Chemistry. Springer. ISBN   978-3-540-69933-0.
• Davidson, Jane L.; Davidson, Alan; Saberi, Helen; Jaine, Tom (2006). The Oxford companion to food. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-280681-5.
• Mendel, Janet (2008). Cooking from the Heart of Spain. Frances Lincoln Publishers. ISBN   978-0-7112-2873-3.
• Minifie, Bernard W. (1989). Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionery: Science and Technology. Berlin: Springer. ISBN   0-8342-1301-X.
• Patridge, E. (1958). "marchpane". Origins: A short etymological dictionary of the modern English. London: Routledge. p. 380.

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article " Marchpane ".

• Curwin, David (9 February 2007). "Etymology of marzipan" (in English). Balashon: Hebrew Language Detective – a discussion of various etymologies
• "Marzipan" (in English). German Food Guide & Directory
• "Origenes del Mazapán" (in Spanish). Mazapan, el dulce de Navidad [Marzipan, the Christmas sweet]
• Marzipan museum