Macaron

A macaron (MAK-ə-RON, French: [makaʁɔ̃]), also called a French macaroon (MAK-ə-ROON), is a sweet confection built from meringue. Its ingredients are egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and frequently food colouring. Since the 1800s, the typical Parisian version has been filled with ganache, buttercream, or jam. Once baked, the round cookie has a smooth top with squared edges, a ruffled rim known as the "crown" or "foot" (or "pied"), and a flat bottom. It is slightly moist and melts easily in the mouth. Flavours range widely, from classic sweet options like raspberry or chocolate to savoury ones such as foie gras.

The words "macaron" and "macaroon" both come from the French *macaron*, which itself traces back to the Italian *maccheroni* (also the root of "macaroni"). French words ending in "-on" that entered English in the 1500s and 1600s typically ended with "-oon" (examples: "balloon," "cartoon," "platoon"). In North America, most bakers use "macaron" to set it apart from the related coconut or almond macaroon. In the UK, they are also called "French macaroons" or simply "macaroons."

Although the sandwich-style macaron known today was created in Paris by Claude Gerbet, the story of the macaron reaches back to earlier almond-based cakes. Arab troops from Ifrīqiya (now Tunisia) occupied Sicily in 827, bringing nut-based sweets like *fālūdhaj* and *lauzinaj*—baked goods with sweet almond cream inside. These pastries had been passed down from the Sassanid shahs in Persia, where almond cake was made for the Zoroastrian New Year (Nowruz). In Sicily and Toledo, Spain—another meeting point of Muslim and Christian culture—*fālūdhaj* and *lauzinaj* evolved into desserts such as almond-paste tarts called *marzapane* and *caliscioni*. Some food historians trace the macaron’s origin to a French monastery in Cormery in the Loire Valley in 791, where a version was made with egg whites, sugar, and almonds. A Swiss online baking encyclopedia states that they were brought from al-Andalus (present-day Spain) to Marrakesh (present-day Morocco) in the early 1000s by Sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin, first king of the Almoravid dynasty, and were served mainly during Ramadan. A popular legend claims the macaron was introduced to France by a chef of Catherine de Medici, but a thorough check of records listing service personnel who worked with her from her arrival in France until her death found no Italian chefs.

In the 1790s, macarons gained fame when two Carmelite nuns, seeking asylum in Nancy during the French Revolution, baked and sold them to pay for housing. These nuns became known as the "Macaron Sisters." At that stage, macarons were served without special flavours or fillings. Only in the 1930s did they begin to be served as a sandwich with jams, liqueurs, and spices. The macaron as known today—two almond meringue discs filled with buttercream, jam, or ganache—was originally called the "Gerbet" or the "Paris macaron." Pierre Desfontaines of the French pâtisserie Ladurée has sometimes been credited with its creation in the early 1900s, but another baker, Claude Gerbet, also claims to have invented it. French macaron bakeries became trendy in North America in the 2010s.

The earliest known recipe dates to the early 1600s and appears inspired by a French version. It describes washing Jordan almonds, blanching them, beating them with sugar, adding rose water and ambergris, drying the mixture, then mixing in egg whites and baking the little rolls.

Two main methods exist for making a macaron: using French or Italian meringue (the latter also originated in France despite its name). In the French method, egg whites are whisked to stiff peaks, then sifted ground almonds and powdered sugar are folded in slowly until the right consistency is reached—this folding process is called *macaronage*. In the Italian method, egg whites are whisked with hot sugar syrup to form a meringue, while sifted almonds and icing sugar are mixed with raw egg whites into a paste; the meringue and paste are then combined. This method is often considered more structurally sound but also sweeter, and it requires a candy thermometer for the syrup. A vegan variation uses aquafaba instead of egg white, with all other ingredients essentially the same. Either type of meringue can be combined with ground almonds.