Lübeck, Germany is a marzipan paradise
Lübeck is the birthplace of marzipan in Germany. It is said to have been originally sold by pharmacists as medicine before being sold by pastry chefs in the 19th century. Another legend says that it was invented in times of great famine, when there were only honey and almonds in the city’s warehouses. An art carried on by his descendants to the present day.
Unmissable destination is the Café Niederegger, historic pastry shop and gastronomic symbol of the city which for more than two centuries has been the kingdom of marzipan, inevitably linked to the name of George Niederegger, master pastry chef and founder of the first marzipan factory.
Marzipan Superstar
In Portugal it is called maçapão and is used to make finos documents, those delicacies enjoyed in the Algarve region. It was the Portuguese who introduced marzipan to Goa, India, where it was reinvented with cashews. On the island of Malta, figolla is a marzipan-filled biscuit that is eaten especially at Easter. The biscuit is usually decorated with very colorful icing and topped with a small chocolate Easter egg
Very popular in Germany under the name of stollen, it cheers up the Christmas holiday, while in Denmark and Norway, people eat kransekage on special occasions: a kind of pyramidal cake made of marzipan wreaths. In Sweden, prinsesstårta, a traditional dessert made of layers of sponge cake and filled with vanilla cream and raspberry jam, is topped with marzipan.
Its delicacy has conquered Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Belgium and England,
Middle East, Latin America and Asia where it is used for Easter eggs, It is very polar in Germany, where it is used for Brenten while in Italy we find it in the lucky pigs of South Tyrol.
Not to be nationalist, but, in my opinion, the top marzipan comes from Sicily which has adopted it, calling it Almond Paste and producing biscuits, granitas and the traditional (and exquisite) ‘Martorana fruit’ which seems to have been invented in a monastery in nuns.
- The recipe for marzipanThe recipe is pretty simple and quick to prepare.
To obtain 250 g of marzipan is enough
125 g of almond flour
125 g of powdered sugar
30 g pasteurized egg white
5-6 drops of almond flavor.
To the almond flour and sugar, add egg white, the almond aroma and mix well. Mix with a spoon. A vigorous kneading and the marzipan is done!
