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Tuesday 10th of January 2012




Macaron or Macaroon ??? 

     Let's settle this once and for all !!! I've always wanted to to a post explaining the difference, especially since I take a malicious joy at correcting people on twitter^^ I have never gone around to do it, but yesterday I saw something that really made me cringe... As I was reading a well known food magazine, I found myself staring at a "pink macaroon" recipe with a picture of a macaron ... Enough is enough =^.^= The madness is such that even if you google "macaroon", most of what you get are macarons recipe ... 


Macaron and macaroons have the same origine, hence the confusion probably...

     The Macaron cookie was born in Italy, introduced by the chef of Catherine de Medicis in 1533 at the time of her marriage to the Duc d'Orleans who became king of France in 1547 as Henry II. The term "macaron" has the same origin as that the word "macaroni"; both come from the Italian word "maccherone" meaning "fine dough". The first Macarons were simple cookies, made of almond powder, sugar and egg whites.




     Later, two Benedictine nuns, Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth, seeking asylum in the town of Nancy during the French Revolution (1789-1799), paid for their housing by baking and selling the macaron cookies, and thus became known as the “Macaroon Sisters”.


Macaron/French Macaron:


     Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the Macaron become a "double-decker" affair. Pierre Desfontaines, of Parisian pastry shop Laduree, decided to take two cookies and fill them with ganache ... And the macaron was born !!! 


     No longer a humble almond cookie, the macaron turned into a versatilely flavored treat with a thin, light crust briefly giving way to a layer of moist almond meringue following by a center of silky smooth filling.












Macaroon:


     In the 19th century, Italian Jews adopted the cookie because it has no flour or leavening, and can be enjoyed during the eight-day observation of Passover. It was introduced to other European Jews and became popular as a year-round sweet.


     Over time, coconut was added to the ground almonds and, in certain recipes, replaced them. And the macaroon was born !!!


     Nowadays macaroons are made by using shredded coconut and have a soft chewy centre. Versions of macaroon dipped in chocolate are becoming more and more popular ... 










     In French, a macaron is a macaron...

But a macaroon is a "congolais" ...




Have a Fruity Week!!!





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