Marzipan (Mazapán)
Ingredients
- 1/2 Kg Sugar
- 125 cc Water
- 1 Kg Almonds, finely ground
- 7 Egg Whites, whisked until very fluffy
- Caster sugar for sprinkling
Preparation: Heat the water and sugar until a light syrup has formed. Add the almonds and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in 4 egg whites, remove from the heat and stir in 3 more whites, making sure you keep stirring throughout.
Preheat the oven to 200 C (gas mark 6). Lay waxed paper on an oven tray. On the paper, place the dough formed into walnut-sized balls, leaving some space between them. Press the balls slightly down to achieve a lightly oval shape and press a little sugar in the centre of each oval using your little finger. Place the tray in the oven and bake till golden. Take out and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Presentation: Serve as dessert on Boxing Day and Xmas day, on a tray with soft and hard nougat and nuts. Mazapán can be decorated with food colouring and syrup prior to baking.
Cooking tip: Make sure to mix all ingredients well and have enough egg in the mix, as egg gives marzipan its shiny, golden finish. Marzipan can be shaped in moulds prior to baking. Traditional shapes include fish, stars and even snails!
About this dish: Mazapán is Arabic in origin, arriving to Spain with the arab invasion of the 8th century. There is a strict quality categorisation for Mazapán and even origin denominations like those applied to wine (particularly famous are Mazapán de Toledo for its high quality and Mazapán de Soto, which includes lemon and sour almonds in its recipe). It is available all year around but consumed mostly in Christmas, except in Valencia, where napkins (Mocaors) filled with fruit-shaped Marzipan are given by men to their girlfriends and wives at the Mocaorà celebration on the 9th of October.
Curiosity: Mazapán is often used for decoration rather than to eat. It is common to see large Mazapán statues adorn bakeries, restaurants and even homes. Mazapán is also often used to make Christmas decorations to hang on the Christmas tree.
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