A distinguished, but ambiguous product from Arabia and the Mediterranean; to pastrycooks, almond paste is what clay is to a sculptor. They have always produced the most extraordinary shapes so perfectly imitated as to deceive the most expert eye at first sight.

The etymology of the name is uncertain. Some consider its origin to be the Arabian word “mauthaban” which version seems to coincide with the Ottoman origins of Marzipan which appears to have arrived in Europe in the XIIIth. century brought by a crusader returning from the Holy Land.
Another tradition ascribes its origins to Venice, the name originating from “Merci Panem” or St. Mark’s Bread.
It is a fact that commercial dealings give precedence to the Hanseatic towns regarding the knowledge of Marzipan since there, it is still considered as the sweet symbolic of Lubeck and where, in the best confectioners in the world, almond cakes and perfect Marzipan reproductions of the houses and monuments of Thomas Mann’s city are to be admired.

Almonds make up the basis of this distinguished form of the confectioner’s art, the trees having been imported from far off Persia into Italy and Magna Grecia.
California is, and has been for many years, the principle world producer.

Marzipan has spread widely and is still very popular for industrial and artisan confectionery connected with local traditions all over Europe.

The recipe for Marzipan is very simple: peeled sweet Almonds, sugar and water, however… the simplicity is not to be taken lightly.

To-day the industrial production of Marzipan is neither to be considered banal nor that may be improvised. Apart from the strict general regulations governing the production of “food stuffs” the particular characteristics of Almonds impose truly special operating conditions, procedures and plants.

Almonds, like all plants, ripen fully while still on the tree followed by a more or less rapid deterioration. The shell and tegument contribute greatly to preserving the nut and its characteristic oils. Therefore it is evident how important it is to work on the almonds as soon as they are peeled in order to obtain the semi-finished products with the best and purest functional and organological properties.