Macarons: What They Are and Where They Come From

For some years now they have conquered Italians thanks to their sweetness, but also their colors: discover what macarons are and where these tasty and colorful sweets come from , of which Enrico Rizzi has become one of the greatest specialists in Milan and in Italy.

Where do macarons come from?

The exact origin of macarons is still uncertain. Most people consider them to be French creations , but since the term originally referred to very different food products, it is difficult to establish exactly where they were born. One of the most accredited versions traces macarons back to a convent near Cormery , where they were invented at the end of the 8th century.

There are also those who claim that the Italians had a hand in the birth of macarons: it was Catherine De Medici , in the first half of the 16th century, who brought the sweets to France with her when she married Henry II. If this were the case, their name would derive from the local term “maccherone”.

Whatever their “legendary” origin, macarons were originally simple pastries without filling, quite different from the dessert we know today . Only from the first decades of the 19th century were macarons served in pairs, accompanied by creams and jams.

The father of today's traditional Parisian macarons is Pierre Desfontaines : Ernest Ladurée's grandson deserves credit for having paired the pastries, uniting them thanks to the creams and jams used from time to time.

Read also: History and origin of gianduiotto

What are macarons?

We have seen how in the beginning macarons were almost biscuits. Today, however, they are real sweets made of two meringue-based “hosts” (the coques ) , garnished with a soft filling (the ganache ) that can be made of chocolate, cream, jam, not only fruit, but also vegetable… the only limit is the imagination of the chef who prepares them.

The same wafers can be flavored with different ingredients, which also determine their colors. The very fact of being colored has made macarons satisfying not only for the stomach, but also for the eyes , thus contributing to their success.

The richness of each macaron is therefore given by the combination – sometimes by a real contrast – between the wafers and the jam . Just to give a couple of examples, among those proposed by Enrico Rizzi stand out original creations such as the macaron Sinfonia Rosé, based on lychee, raspberry and rose petals, or the macaron Sinfonia dei Golosi, based on caramel, cocoa beans and Maldon salt, or even the unusual salty macarons .

Curious to try them? You can buy Enrico Rizzi's assorted macarons in Shop online!