Macaron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dating back to the 18th century, the macaron is a traditional French pastry, made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. This sweet pastry came out of the French courts' baker's oven as round meringue-like domes with a flat base.
Macarons, also anglicized "macaroons", are not to be confused with a similary pastry also called macaroons. Macarons are sandwich-like pastries made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macaroons are dense cookies made either with coconut or with a coarse almond paste.
Macarons come in a wide variety of flavors varying by store and season; ranging from traditional to exotic.
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[edit] History
At the Versailles Court in Paris, members of the Dalloyau family, whose descendants later founded the gastronomy house of the same name, served macarons to royalty in the then ruling House of Bourbon.
In the 1830s macarons were served two-by-two with the addition of jams, liqueurs, and spices. The macaron known today is the "Gerbert" macaron, born in the 1880s in the Beleville neighbourhood of Paris.[citation needed] The double-decker macaron filled with cream that is popular today was invented by the French pâtisserie Ladurée.[1]
[edit] Variations
A variation of macaron called makoron, which substitutes peanut powder for almond powder and flavored in wagashi style, is widely available in Sendai, Japan. Confiserie Sprüngli in Switzerland sells Luxemburgerli, which is similar to macaron but smaller and airier.
[edit] In popular culture
- Brightly-colored macarons by Ladurée were prominently featured in Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette. Like champagne, caviar and foie gras, they are considered the height of luxury.
- In Sex and the City, Charlotte York is seen arranging macarons at the temple singles function when she meets Harry again and he proposes to her.
