Marzipan, a delicious and light treat made of a fairly unusual combination of sugar and almond meal, often accented with almond extract. It has been used in all varieties of sweets and treats, and manages to be both kosher and appropriate for Lent. Its excellent mutability makes it popular for themed cakes and confections, as it can be molded into just about anything. During the rest of the year, it’s often found served with chocolate, making it a powerfully decadent treat that’s more than a little loved by its fans.
History of Marzipan Day
The origins of Marzipan aren’t entirely clear, but culinary historians have traced its most likely place of origin as Persia. From there it traveled through the various trade routes to become a staple of European cuisine, most likely having first been brought there by the Turks. During this era the Hanseatic League, a trade confederation of towns rather than people, transported great quantities of it, making it a staple of most of the towns that called the Hanseatic League their own.
Lubeck and Tallinn are particularly proud of their history and tradition of marzipan manufacture, and quality and almond content are taken very seriously. While Persia is the most likely place for it to have found its start, there is also ample evidence that Spain either developed a version of its own, or was the actual starting place of this confectionary treat.
How to celebrate Marzipan Day
Like most food based holidays, the best way to celebrate Marzipan Day is to just dive right in and indulge yourself in this delightful confection. You can really get into it and buy premade marzipan that hasn’t yet set, and really stretch your creativity by creating all manner of marzipan creations. It’s delicious, and capable of being shaped into any number of fun and interesting shapes, mix in some food coloring and things can get really wild!
Towering cakes have been made, encased in a marzipan wrap. Fake fruits filled with jellies and preserves, or even thin marzipan outer wraps filled with all manner of fruit and creams. If you’re feeling particularly creative, you can even host a marzipan feast in your home, where everyone comes together to create the most interesting, most intricate, or just plain tastiest marzipan creation of the night! Once it’s all over, you can lie around in your sugar induced coma, and start dreaming of next year’s creation.
