Marzipan: description and composition. Marzipan in sweets - what do they do?

Probably, in the world it is impossible to find a person who would be completely indifferent to sweets. So we are arranged that a piece of something tasty can cause a sense of short-term happiness. Today I want to say a few words about marzipan, an exclusive delicacy. If you tried it once in your life, you probably remembered the unique taste and wanted to learn more about its composition. Marzipan can be made at home, and in this case, the quality of the final product will only benefit.

The fact is that the nut, which is the basis of sweetness, is quite expensive. Therefore, manufacturers are eager to replace it with something else, and add chemical additives to the flavor. The quality of this loses, but the product is more affordable and competitive in price.

What we call marzipan

Many of you now remember the pasta for decorating cakes, smooth and shiny. You are right, this is really about her. And what is its composition? Marzipan is a confectionery product that is made from thin-ground almonds and sugar. Classic marzipan is a plastic mass that allows you to use it, among other things, to create figures and decorations for cakes. Apply it and as a filler for sweets.

A bit of history

And when did the world first learn about such a simple and at the same time refined sweetness? In order to answer this question, we again need to pay attention to the composition. Marzipan is produced from almonds, which means that the production of these products should begin where there are many. Several European countries dispute the palm tree in the production of this confectionery.

The ancient traditions of cooking marzipan sweets exist in Germany and Austria, Holland and Italy. But the most famous of them are produced in the north of Germany. And for a long time a unique composition was kept secret. Marzipan was not really thought of as exclusive sweetness. Just almond flour was used because of lack or complete absence of wheat flour. Marzipan bread is so popular that it was used in good times, but already as a dessert.

Specialization of the region

It is interesting that up to the 18th century not only confectioners, but also chemists were engaged in making marzipan. Only much later this mastery was completely transferred to the confectioners. And very soon this product became very expensive due to the increase in prices for sugar and almonds. But even today this sweetness is still highly valued, but now we can afford it. The prevalence and availability of this delicacy is very high.

The tricks of modern production

It's no secret that today many products are made from analogues or synthetic substitutes. Marzipan was no exception. The composition should include only almonds, sugar and rose water. And what lies today on the shelves of shops, often has nothing to do with this legendary sweets.

Instead of almonds, any nuts can go to the paste, but most often it is peanuts. But very often soy or beans, various artificial fillers and flavors are in the general composition. The reader may be interested to know that the old entries from cookbooks provided for rubbing almonds on a fine grater with the addition of sugar and a long grinding of this mass in a mortar. Due to this, the highest plasticity of the mass was achieved. Time to produce sweets took a lot, which explained the high price.

Properties of marzipan

They are determined by what makes marzipan. The composition that the manufacturer must indicate on the package, and indicate whether it is worth buying this product. If it is almonds, then the product from it completely preserves all the properties of this nut. And he is very rich in vitamins B and E, as well as other antioxidants. But most of all it contains microelements. Just a few nuts per day will provide your body with phosphorus and potassium, magnesium and many others.

Knowing which nut is a part of marzipan, you will well understand what you will get with its regular use. Almonds remove sand from the kidneys, normalizes the liver and pancreas, and also cleanses the blood. It is a natural analgesic, which also has an anticonvulsant effect. The benefit of this nut is evident in bronchial asthma, stress and insomnia. As you can see, marzipan is much more useful than conventional confectionery products.

Cooking at home

In fact, there is nothing complicated in this. The main thing is to know the composition of marzipan in sweets, and you can reproduce a full analogue. You will need to take 150 g of almonds and clean them from the dark shell. To do this, they are poured for a moment with boiling water, and then immediately with cold water. After this, the membrane can easily be removed, and the nuts themselves need to be dried on a napkin. Then it remains to crush the almonds in the smallest crumb in a hand mill or in a blender.

Now to the received crumb it is required to add 100 g of powdered sugar. It is better to take the industrial, because the home is not so finely grinded. To this mixture it remains to add a spoonful of rum and water or milk, some confectioners suggest using raw protein from quail eggs. This mixes the smooth dough. The liquid in it should be enough to prevent the dough from sticking to the hands and table. If the liquid is too small, then during the mixing process almond oil will begin to be released, which is absolutely not necessary. From this mass it is possible to form round candies inside which to place a nut or toffee, and from above it is possible to pour chocolate.

Works of art

Really in the store you can not buy quality candy and you must do it yourself? Not at all. In St. Petersburg there is an excellent online store Grondard. Marzipan, the composition of which ideally repeats old recipes, is really there, it is produced and packaged here as an order, and in a line mode.

Among the residents of the northern capital, this store is very popular, as it gives an opportunity to make an exquisite gift, with individual design to colleagues, relatives and friends.

Popular Ritter Sport

It does not have to be ordered in an online store, because it is sold in every supermarket. How natural is from "Ritter Sport" "Marzipan". The composition is not bad, but it contains no more than 16% of marzipan. All the rest is sugar, cocoa, emulsifiers and syrup. Therefore, if your plans include trying a real, almond recipe, it is recommended to find another option. In particular, you can master the home production of these sweets, since it is not too difficult. In this case, you will be sure that today you have served as a dessert.