Who Invented the Macaron?

Macaron is a small and very delicious dessert; It is made with meringue, almond flour, and buttercream filling. The French word macaron means "cookie made from almonds and egg whites", taken from the Italian word 'Maccarone' meaning small pastry.

Macarons were seen for the first time in their known history in Europe and in the Middle Ages. At that time macaron was a small dessert made of almonds, egg whites, and sugar, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Although macaron is known as a French dessert, it was first produced in Venetian monasteries in 1791, according to Larousse Gastronomique. In 1533, the French Queen Catherine de Medici II. The history of macarons in France began when she married Henry and came to France. When Catherine de Medici comes to France, she brings her Italian cook with her and asks to make these small desserts to be presented to the guests at the ceremony. These little sweets, which are liked by everyone, start to become popular.

The popularity of macarons today actually dates back to the end of the 18th century. In 1792, two Carmelite nuns in Nancy decided to cook and sell macarons to survive during the French Revolution. Thanks to this, they became known as the "Macaron Brothers". In 1952, a macaron shop opened in the city of Nancy where they produced the macarons to honor two nuns. Over time, different regions of France adopted the recipe as a local dessert. But the macaron as we know it today, made with a smooth flavored filling between two meringues, was a masterpiece of the French capital. The macarons made at that time did not contain any decorations, flavors or ganache.

The macaron as it is known today, consisting of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, jam, or ganache filling, was originally called "Gerbet" or "Paris pasta". The story of Ladurèe begins in France in 1862 when Louis-Ernest Ladurèe opens a bakery in the 16th District of Paris - Rue Royal. After a fire in 1871, Louis-Ernest Ladurèe and his wife Jeanne Souchard decide to turn the bakery into a patisserie. Pierre Desfontaines, one of the partners of the patisserie at the beginning of the 20th century, started to add ganache, chocolate, and creams of different flavors between two meringues, and they have preserved their recipes ever since. Laduree; It is still the most popular patisserie that comes to mind when macaron is mentioned.

Macaron has been an unchanged recipe in France for 150 years. While green tea macarons are made in Korea, it is commonly made in Japan with a confectionery called "wagashi". In Switzerland, macaron, which is smaller and lighter than in other countries, is made with various confectionery.

Since 2005, 20 March has been celebrated globally as Macaron Day.