marzipan

Definition

A confection made from a paste of almonds, sugar and egg white as a binder.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Marzipan, from Italian marzapane, Venetan marzapane. Believed to be, with influence from pane (“bread”), derived from Arabic مَرْطَبَان (marṭabān, “spice box”) which comes from the name of a Burmese port known for its spice exports, Martaban, now called in Burmese မုတ္ထမ (muthta.ma.).

Example Sentences

• "Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and grill […] then grind finely […] then add the caster sugar and ground hazelnuts [to egg whites] and mix to a stiff marzipan paste. Sandwich the pecan nuts together in pairs with a little of the hazelnut marzipan."
• "Hazelnut marzipan. Hazelnuts are used as an alternative to almonds, ground together in a proportion from 11⁄2 to 2 parts nuts to sugar. Almonds may be mixed in according to taste."
• "[…] cookie mini pack, watermelon Bubble Yum or, my favorite, de la Rosa, a peanut marzipan round packaged in a cellophane wrapper with a delicate rose printed on it. De la Rosa is a perfect confection. Just crumbly enough, just sweet enough […]"