What are marzipans? History, recipes, photos

In the courtyard of the XXI century - the century, blurring the boundaries between cities, countries and even continents. Few surprises and impresses us, but there are still loopholes. Today we will talk with you about outlandish sweets. Now this delicacy has become very popular in our country, but many still do not know what marzipans are.

So, marzipan is almond flour, mixed with powdered sugar. There are several radically opposite versions about the origin of this sweet dish, but one in them converges - it is known to the world since the last millennium. According to one version, what are marzipans, the Italians first learned. It happened in an arid time, when by a lucky chance the only food that did not suffer from the heat and beetles was almonds. From it they did everything: pasta, sweets and even bread. That is why in Italy they call marzipan "March bread".

The Germans have this explanation. According to legend, in the first European pharmacy a young pharmacist named Mart was working. It was he who mixed the ground almonds with sweet syrup. So the almond mixture was called "Mart bread".

At the moment, the production of this sweets is widely developed throughout Europe, and the capital Lübeck became the capital, in which they opened a museum where you can not only learn what marzipans are, but also try more than 500 of their kinds.

For some unknown reason, this product did not take root in Russia, and they remembered about it not so long ago. And it was not for nothing that they remembered! Due to its elasticity, this mixture is used for the production of a wide variety of products: sweets, sweets in the form of exotic fruits, ornaments for desserts and cakes.

Do not believe it, but this culinary masterpiece is covered with a thin layer of almond mixture, and at the heart of the wonderful realistic flowers is nothing but marzipan. Photo, believe me, does not convey the beauty of this delicious wedding miracle.

After reading the article, you are probably tormented by the last and quite natural question: "How to cook marzipan with your own hands?". We answer: everything is very simple!

The first is a hot method - used to cover cakes. You will need:

• Sugar - 200 g;
• Powdered sugar - 200 g;
• Peeled almonds - 200 g;
• Egg white - 2 pcs .;
• Lemon juice, vanilla.

Mix sugar, sugar and proteins and cook in a water bath to the consistency of a thick cream, then add crushed almonds, a teaspoon of lemon juice and a couple drops of vanilla essence. Mass carefully knead (as a dough) and color food colorings if desired. Do not wait for it to cool down - the cooled mass loses its elasticity.

The second method is cold, for modeling figures and covering pastry. Ingredients:

• Peeled almonds - 200 g;
• Powdered sugar - 200 g;
• Egg white - 1 pc .;
• 1 tsp. Fruit liqueur;
• 3-5 drops of lemon juice.

Almond to dry in the oven for 3-5 minutes, then pass the nuts through the meat grinder and mix with protein and sugar powder. Add lemon juice and liqueur, mix well with a spoon and again pass through a press. Fix the finished product in foil and leave it for a few days in the refrigerator.

We hope that our article was interesting to you, and you not only learned what marzipans are, but also, inspired by pictures and incredibly simple recipes, decided to prepare this delicious dish!