Legend has it that macarons originated in an Italian monastery from the 8th-9th century. The earliest record of macaroons was at a local convent in Commercy in France in 791. Another story goes that the macaroon reached France in 1533 with the pastry chefs of Catherine de Medici, who was King Henry II’s wife. Food historians believe that the macaroon belongs to Italy, and came to France with sailors where patissier techniques modified it. The word ‘macaroon’ has been derived from the Italian word ‘ammaccare’, which means to crush. This refers to the almond paste which is meant to be its main ingredient. Arab invaders introduced almonds to Venice by Arab invaders in the 7th century. Later, egg whites and sugar were added to create macaroons. By the late 19th century, almond was substituted with coconut in North America because the almond version was brittle and didn’t travel well.
