First there were designer chocolates, then came the cupcake, then the macaron and now the marzipan. This is no order of appearance of sweet temptations, they have always been there, but their popularity has risen and fallen in phases over the years.
In India, great marzipan could only be found in a handful of outlets till recently. Anybody from Kolkata would swear by the walnut coated marzipan made by the legendary Nahoum’s. In Mumbai’s Bandra, delicious marzipan sold in transparent packets is a treat to look forward to during Christmas. Now, Estonian Thea Tammeleht is selling gourmet marzipan through her outlet Nordic Kandie Magic in Mumbai and Delhi.
So what makes this concoction of almond and sugar the object of desire for many? The delicacy finds mention in ancient Persian texts, where it is described as a medicinal paste with curative qualities! The recipe for the magic mix made its way into Europe with the returning crusaders. In 13th century Venice, Naples and Sicily, spices and confectionery were generally traded in tiny boxes. The enchanting word “Mataban” (box) gradually came to be used for the contents of the box: Mazapane (Italian), Massepain (French), Marzipan (German).
So coveted was the sweet, that it was sold in medieval Europe covered in gold leaf. Theologian Thomas Aquinas reassured anxious clerics that eating marzipan did not amount to breaking fast. Novelist Boccaccio found a relation between passion and marzipan. However, only apothecaries were allowed to trade with sugar and spices back then. Not until confectionery became a trade in its own right were so-called ‘canditors’ allowed to produce marzipan.
It is said Queen Elizabeth I was addicted to it. When the French king Louis XIV hosted sumptuous feasts, huge tables laden with marzipan were the order of the day. It was only in the first half of the 19th century that the general population was able to sample the almond delicacy to their heart’s content in coffee houses. Sugar was being extracted from sugar beet, and thus the costly luxury became slightly more affordable.
So this festive season if you are in the capital or in Mumbai, chances are that some connoisseur of all things sweet would turn to sending out designer marzipan instead of the usual barfi or laddu.