The macaron, a colourful little sweet shaped like a tiny hamburger, is hugely popular around the world, including in Thailand. Today we take a deep dive into the origins and development of the macaron.
What Is a Macaron?
A macaron is made of small cookies sandwiched together with various fillings, like a tiny sweet hamburger. The shells are made from egg whites whipped with sugar into a meringue, then mixed with ground almonds and icing sugar and baked so the shells rise. Fillings vary, with popular choices including lemon butter, chocolate ganache, buttercream and jam.
The Origin of the Macaron
The macaron emerged in 1792, during the French Revolution (in the 19th century). It was invented by nuns of the Carmelite order from Italy, who looked for a way to make sweets to pay for their lodging. They whipped almonds, sugar and egg whites together and baked them. The treat developed over time until two macarons were sandwiched together with a filling in the middle, giving it its resemblance to a tiny hamburger or sandwich. In this early period, macarons were served without any special flavours or fillings.
The macaron's origin is much debated, and it may well have originated in Italy. An earlier story says an Italian noblewoman, Catherine de' Medici, introduced this sweet to France when she married King Henry II of France in 1533, bringing Italian pastry chefs and early macarons with her. However, this account remains uncertain.
Italian and French Methods
There are two styles of macaron: Italian and French. In the Italian style, the meringue is made by whipping egg whites with a hot sugar syrup, while sifted almonds and icing sugar are mixed with raw egg whites to make a thick paste. The meringue and almond paste are then combined to make the macaron batter. This method is generally considered more stable but sweeter, and it requires a candy thermometer for the syrup.
In the French style, egg whites are whipped into a stiff meringue, then ground almonds and powdered sugar are slowly sifted in until the desired consistency is reached. This process of knocking out air and folding is called macaronnage.
The Macaron Today
In the past, whether Italian or French style, macarons contained only almond powder, egg whites and sugar, and were single pieces that looked more like cookies. They weren't the form we see today, two shells sandwiched with a filling in the middle.
The macaron we know today appeared around 1930, when two shells were served sandwiched with buttercream, jam or ganache. This was the creation of Pierre Desfontaines of Ladurée, the luxurious French pastry house, giving the macaron its present-day look and making it a symbol of France.
Originally, Ladurée made macarons in just four flavours: chocolate, coffee, vanilla and almond. Later, the founding family sold the business to Francis Holder, who in turn passed it to his eldest son, David Holder. David and his team kept creating new flavours and recipes, giving macarons their eye-catching colours and irresistible appeal.
For these reasons, there's no denying that today's macaron, with its two shells, filling in the middle and many beautiful colours, was developed by Ladurée, the famous French pastry house.
