Macaron vs. Macaroon

MACARON

hough a French delicacy through and through, the macaron has decidedly Arabic and Italian roots. During their time occupying Sicily in the 9th century, Arab troops introduced a penchant for almond-based desserts, including the base formula for marzipan. Italian monks and nuns adapted the ground almond-sugar combo to include egg whites, creating crunchy cookies they dubbed “priest’s belly buttons” due to the cookies’ shape. The recipe eventually traveled from Italy and into France, possibly through Catherine de Medici, who married Henry II of France in 1533 and brought along her Italian pastry chefs, who, in turn, brought over a macaron recipe. Over the years, the French would tinker, refine, and popularize the formula. In the late 1800s, the macaron received another fantastical transformation at renowned tea salon Ladurée in sandwich cookie from the macaron, filling the fragile shells with ganache, jam, or marzipan to create a singularly decadent dessert. Today, you can find them dyed in rainbow shades and boasting any flavor imaginable, but every macaron, from the vanilla to the foie gras, still contains the traditional trinity of egg whites, ground almonds, and sugar.