What delicacy has Asian roots. How to make marzipan at home - ingredients and recipes with photos

Many people have heard the word “marzipan” more than once. But not everyone knows what kind of product this is?

This is not a vegetable or a fruit, or even a product of natural origin; it needs to be cooked. Marzipan is a sweet that is popular all over the world and is one of our favorites.

In Europe, marzipan is considered one of the most delicious confectionery products. Pleasure is not cheap.

After all, to make marzipan they use selected, and of course expensive, almonds. Now we will tell you everything about marzipan: its beneficial qualities, harm, method of preparation, history of origin and much more.

The second name for marzipan is “March bread”, which is translated from German. To prepare it you need powdered sugar and almonds, ground to a powdery state..

These two ingredients are turned into a pliable paste from which a variety of masterpieces can be created.

Figurines, flowers, animals - all kinds of beautiful decorations for confectionery products.

Marzipan is so popular in Europe that you can even see museums of this delicacy and sculptures made from it.

In the old days, this product was presented as the best gift for emperors and kings.

Today, delicious marzipan figures are given as gifts for Valentine's Day and Christmas.

Where did marzipan come from?

No one can say with certainty how the first marzipan appeared. There are plenty of origin stories. According to one of them, the product was first made in Italy. Once there was a very bad harvest year in the country, all the crops were lost.

Of the food products, only almonds were preserved. Then they made flour from it. Bread, pizza, pasta were already made from this flour, and marzipan sweets were also invented.

The following story names Spain as the country of origin of marzipan. In ancient times, battles took place there against the Moors. Spain won, but with maximum losses. Many men died.

Then the strong part of the country’s population practically disappeared. In everyday life, this was reflected in the fact that there was no one to cultivate the land to grow crops. Local monks managed to find a way out of the situation.

They took sugar and almonds from the spoils of the war. Both products were ground into powder, and then delicacies were prepared from it.

The third version says that the birthplace of marzipan is the Ottoman Empire. It spread to other continents when local residents went to war on nearby lands.

Traditionally, marzipan is made from high quality almonds and sugar. Today you can find many variations with the addition of various ingredients.

Sugar and almonds are the base, and pine nuts, pineapples, rum and liqueur, lemon juice and zest, egg yolk, orange are used as additional components. These products impart different flavors and shades to the product.

The leader in the production of sweets is Germany. The most delicious marzipans are prepared in the city of Lübeck.

There is a legend that they have their own special secret, which is to add one bitter almond to every hundred sweet and high-quality almonds. In this case, the delicacy will be incredibly tasty.

How to make marzipan at home

Want to try this product? Don’t rush to the store to look for sweets, prepare them yourself at home. To do this, take almonds, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and water. First, prepare syrup from sugar and water.

Then, in a coffee grinder or blender with a special fine attachment, grind the almonds to a powder. Before this, the almonds must be peeled and thoroughly dried in the oven.

Powdered sugar and almond are combined using a mixer. While stirring everything at medium speed, gradually pour in the prepared hot syrup. Mix everything until smooth and set aside to cool.

When the paste has cooled, it is kneaded like dough until it becomes plasticine. In principle, the product is ready for use.

But you can add food coloring and make different figures, flowers, and decorations. Then it will be more interesting to eat, especially for children.

To ensure excellent marzipan sweets, remember a few secrets of their preparation:

* The amount of almond powder in the sweet mass should be at least a third.

* To prevent the delicacy from sticking to your hands when modeling, lightly sprinkle it with granulated sugar.

* To color sweets, use only food coloring.

* It is optimal to store marzipan in cling film and in the refrigerator. Then he can lie there for a month. If eggs were one of the ingredients in the preparation, then it is better to eat the product as quickly as possible.

* Egg white will help to connect small parts of marzipan decorations and compositions. It's a kind of food glue.

* After cooking, the pasta turned out to be quite soft and pliable, sometimes even breaking into pieces. Don't panic, the situation is easy to fix. Add a little more powdered sugar and re-knead the paste.

Useful properties of marzipan

Marzipan is not only a tasty treat, but also healthy. Thanks to the presence of almonds in it. All its beneficial qualities are preserved, since the product cannot be subjected to any heat treatment. The presence of vitamins is undeniable.

Sweetness helps with depression and bad mood, because almond sugar promotes the production of the joy hormone - serotonin.

The following useful features are also worth mentioning:

1) An excellent healer of blood vessels: cleanses them and strengthens the walls.

2) Promotes the removal of bad cholesterol from the body.

3) Improves the functionality and functioning of the liver.

4) Strengthens joints, as well as the myocardium.

5) Helps strengthen the protective barrier against viruses and bacteria that try to enter the body.

Don't forget about precautions. Due to the presence of a large amount of sugar in the composition, the product should be limited to diabetics. Overeating marzipan risks poisoning, damaged teeth and metabolic disorders.

Today we’ll talk to you about unusual sweets. Although this delicacy is widespread all over the world, many still do not know what marzipan is. What is this? Where did this name come from? Is it possible to make sweets at home? Is this product good for human health? We'll talk about all this further.

Marzipan. What is it, the history of the delicacy

Marzipan is quite widely known in the confectionery industry. In Europe, it is generally considered one of the most delicious delicacies. However, marzipan is a very expensive pleasure, since the best almonds are used to make it.

This delicacy is translated from German as “March bread”. It consists of powdered sugar and almonds ground to a powdery state. This is all turned into paste, from which you can make various figures, sweets, flowers, and various decorative elements for cakes.

In European capitals there are entire museums dedicated to this delicacy. There you can find entire sculptures, and even all kinds of building models.

In the old days, marzipan delicacies were given to emperors and kings. Nowadays in Europe there is a popular tradition of giving marzipan figurines on Valentine's Day and Christmas.

If we talk about its origin, then it is not known exactly who and when invented this delicacy. There are several stories about this.

According to the first of them, marzipan was invented in Italy when the entire crop died, with the exception of almonds. At this time, they learned to make flour from almonds, and from it they prepared almond pizza, almond bread, pasta with almond sauce, and sweet marzipans.

According to the second version, this is a delicacy from Spain, namely from the mountainous region of Navas de Tolosa. Here the story is as follows. During the battle against the Moors (1212), although victory was for Spain, many men died.

It became difficult to cultivate the land. But the find turned out to be almonds and sugar, which were among the spoils of war. So in the monastery of San Clemente, the monks ground almonds and sugar, thereby preparing marzipan.

There is also a third version, according to which marzipan comes from the Ottoman Empire. Some claim that it was popular there as early as 800. When the Arabs decided to conquer the lands, the spread of marzipan began.

As you can see, the appearance of the delicacy is everywhere associated with war or hostilities, but which version is more reliable is still unknown.

What does real marzipan contain?

In principle, the composition of marzipan has retained its traditional nature to this day. To prepare confectionery sweets, you should take only high quality almonds, the content of which should be at least 33%.

But, like any dish, marzipan has undergone changes with age. Now it contains pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, pineapples, oranges, rum, liqueur, and egg yolk. But only the proportions of almonds and sugar must be observed.

Today, Germany is considered the best producer of marzipan. It is in the city of Lubeck that the best confectioners live, who keep their secret of this delicacy a secret. There is an opinion that their secret is the addition of one bitter almond per hundred sweet ones.

How to prepare marzipans?

You can prepare this delicacy at home. If you follow the technology, you will get marzipan no worse than in the famous factories for its production. Moreover, by preparing it with love, your family will definitely feel it.

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan, place it on the fire and bring to a boil. They should boil for about thirty seconds. The result should be syrup.

Almonds should be ground in a coffee grinder until a dusty substance is obtained. Combine ground almonds and powdered sugar, mix everything with a mixer at medium speed.

With the mixer running, add the resulting syrup to the almonds and powder. It needs to be poured hot. Stir a little more.

Now you should wait until the paste cools down a little. After this, knead it thoroughly with your hands. The result should be “smooth plasticine”.

In this state, it can be cut into pieces or sculpted into figures and decor as decorations, painted with food coloring.

• Tips and recommendations that will help you prepare the most delicious marzipan:
• The main rule is that at least 33% of almonds should be contained in the sweet mass.
• While sculpting, sprinkle the marzipan with granulated sugar, so it will not stick to your hands.
• If you need to color the marzipan, use only food coloring.
• The shelf life of marzipan is 1 month, but provided that it is kept in the refrigerator and tightly wrapped in cellophane. If eggs are used in the recipe, then it is advisable to eat such sweets as quickly as possible.
• It is best to fasten the individual elements of the figures with egg white, which is an excellent food glue.
• If the sweet mass is too soft, add a little powdered sugar and mix well.

The benefits and harms of marzipan

The fact that marzipan contains almonds makes it very healthy. This also happens because this delicacy cannot be heat treated, so all the beneficial substances of almonds are not lost.

What's useful about it? This also contains a series of vitamin B and vitamin E, which the body really needs. Also, the sugar contained in marzipan produces serotonin (the hormone of joy).

Thanks to these properties, this delicacy was once used to treat depression, nervous breakdowns, and apathy.

The positive impact can be summarized:

• strengthens the myocardium;
• blood vessels are cleansed and their walls are strengthened;
• excess cholesterol is eliminated;
• the liver works better;
• joints are strengthened;
• The body is protected from bacteria and viruses.

The harm of this confectionery product is the same as all the others. Excessive use can lead to deterioration of dental health and metabolic disorders. The presence of sugar imposes restrictions on their consumption by diabetic patients.

But overall, this is a very healthy and tasty confectionery product. By observing the measure, you can completely enjoy it in moderation.

How? You haven't read yet:

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than cooking for yourself))

Content

Figurines and other sweets made of multi-colored flexible material often decorate confectionery products. But after seeing original cakes and sweets made at home, many ask the question, what is marzipan? The product, which came to us from Europe, is a mixture of nuts and sugar. The delicacy easily changes shape without gluing additives, so it is often used to create desserts.

What is marzipan

A flexible mass of milky or light yellow color with a pronounced odor of almonds is marzipan. This product is actively used by confectioners. Translated from the German name marzipan is “March bread”. The delicacy is made from grated sweet and bitter almonds, powdered sugar or syrup. Natural dyes are used to create different colors. Based on the marzipan product, various figures and coverings for cakes, sweets, buns, and fillings for a variety of confectionery products are made.

The delicacy has a long history; there are several versions about the invention of marzipan. By Christmas, in newspaper materials you can find a story about the city of Lübeck, where they saved themselves from hunger by producing bread from almond reserves. But this version is also used in Florence, Turin, Konigsberg - wherever marzipan is produced. In Spain, the sweet was made in the 8th century. In no other city will you find the same taste of this delicacy. Somewhere lemon zest is added to the mixture, somewhere pine nuts. Marzipan museums have been created in many countries.

Benefits and harms

The culinary delicacy has beneficial properties. Like almond kernels, marzipan contains vitamin E. This is a strong antioxidant, helps fight stress, and protects body cells from harmful environmental influences. But consuming this product in large quantities can cause significant harm to the figure; it contains a large amount of carbohydrates and fats. Marzipan mass can cause rashes, since nuts cause one of the most persistent allergies.

What are they made of?

Although this product is considered very popular, not everyone is familiar with what marzipan is made from. The classic recipe for confectionery sweets indicates that to prepare the dish you need to take high quality almonds, powdered sugar or syrup. The nut content must be at least 33%. Now there are a large number of modified marzipan recipes that include citrus fruits, eggs, peanuts, and liqueurs. To create an elastic mixture, you must strictly adhere to the proportions of sugar and almonds.

How to make marzipan at home

Housewives often make marzipan at home. This is a simple process, the main thing is to strictly follow the cooking instructions. The mass dries quickly, so after cooking you should immediately wrap the marzipan with cling film or a damp cloth. The recipes use almond essence; if you want a pronounced taste, add several bitter nut kernels or almond liqueur to the composition.

Candies

If you decide to pamper your children with a healthy dessert, prepare marzipan candies. Thanks to the elasticity of the mass, you can easily make unique sweets of different shapes, and, if desired, different colors. For best taste, add 1 bitter nut for every 20-50 sweet almond kernels. On the Internet you can find photos with ideas for making marzipan sweets. Experiment with fillings, add chocolate, pieces of fruit, coconut flakes. You can come up with your own unique delicious delicacy.

Marzipan cake

Marzipan is often used to make cakes. The entire confectionery product is covered with a thin layer of mass. This is easy to do, and after a short practice, every housewife will be able to decorate her own baked goods. Marzipan figurines of animals, people, and numbers are also used to decorate cakes. The material allows the cook’s limitless imagination to unfold, and modeling brings real pleasure.

Marzipan color

The natural color of marzipan is close to light yellow, but there are brightly colored sweets and cakes on store shelves. The paint used for marzipan - what is it? Dry and gel food colors are used; they are made from squeezed vegetables and fruits. To give marzipan a red, burgundy color, food colors from beets and pomegranate are added, for yellow – from turmeric, saffron, etc. To prepare paints at home, take the product of the required color and boil it in a small amount of water. For lasting color, add citric acid at the tip of the knife.

Marzipan recipe

• Cooking time: 90 minutes.
• Number of servings: 4 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 1000 kcal.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: European.
• Difficulty of preparation: medium.

If you don't know how to cook marzipan quickly and correctly, read this recipe. Making a delicious treat at home is as easy as shelling pears. This healthy sweet will delight not only children, but also adults. The product will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, so it can be made rarely, but in large quantities. The authors describe the cooking method step by step, so even inexperienced housewives can cope with preparing this dish.

Ingredients

• almonds – 1 cup;
• sugar – 1 tablespoon;
• water – 150 ml;
• almond essence – 3 drops.

Cooking method

1. To prepare the sweet mixture, place unpeeled almonds in boiling water for 2 minutes.
2. Drain the water and let the nuts cool.
3. Peel the almonds by pressing firmly on the kernel with your thumb and forefinger.
4. Dry the nuts in a frying pan, stirring constantly. Almonds should not be roasted.
5. Grind the nuts until pureed.
6. Pour water over sugar, place over medium heat and stirring constantly, bring to a boil. After this, stop stirring and cook, shaking the pan. The syrup should thicken to the point where you can roll it into a ball.
7. Pour the nut mixture into thick sugar syrup and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add almond essence and cook for 1 more minute.
8. Place the mixture on a work surface and cut the marzipan into pieces of the required size.

Cold method

The cold method is used to make marzipan. The technology is based on mixing crushed ingredients, and a crystalline sweetener replaces the addition of powdered sugar. If the amount of oil in almonds is not enough to give the consistency of plasticine, these nuts are of poor quality. The dough will be helped by adding an egg to the almond flour, but the shelf life of the sweet dough will be significantly reduced.

Hot method

It is known about marzipan that this dish turns out even more elastic if prepared using the warm method. Hot sugar syrup is used to prepare the mass. It is boiled well and made thick in consistency. Immediately after removing the liquid from the heat, the syrup is added to the mixture of pre-chopped almonds. After adding the sweet element, the mass is thoroughly kneaded, like dough. The quality of the kneading affects the ability of marzipan to retain its shape.

Preparing marzipan requires some skill. To ensure that your delicacy is soft and elastic, adhere to the following rules:

1. Marzipan should be stored in cling film, otherwise it will dry out.
2. If the mixture turns out liquid, add a little powdered sugar mixture. If it turns out tough, stir in the beaten egg white.
3. Apply paints to ready-made marzipan figures.
4. In the process of covering the cake with mastic, we roll out the mass with a margin so that it lies under its own weight without forming folds, as in the photo of professional bakers.
5. It is better not to cover the products with glaze, this will help preserve the taste of true marzipan.
6. To make the mastic coating shine, lubricate it with a solution of vodka and honey in proportions 1:1.

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