5 Interesting Facts About French Macarons

French macarons are sandwich cookies with a crispy exterior. They are made from egg whites, sugar, and almond flour. Often called the king of French sweets, this patisserie is the preferred dessert for weddings, bridal gatherings, baby showers, and other festive occasions. We offer the best macarons in Chicago.

The macarons are an ever-growing trend in the bakery world, with bakers producing varieties with new flavors. If you want to know more about them, take a look at these five interesting facts: 

#Fact 1 First macaron originated in Italy and not France

It is believed that the macaron was born in Italy. According to legend, Catherine de Medici brought the recipe with her from Italy when she married Henry II of France in 1533. Surprisingly, the 16th-century Italian cookbooks mention almond biscuits closely resembling macarons, but under different names. The first macarons were just cookies, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In 1792, the macarons started to gain fame as two Carmelite nuns sold macaron cookies. It was not until the 1830s that bakers served the two-by-two by adding jams, liqueurs, and spices. 

#Fact 2 Ladurée Paris sells over 4,000,000 macarons per year

Ladurée is one of the most popular macaron makers in Paris, and many people rate it as the best macaron online shop in the city. In fact, Ladurée is so popular that it has now opened shops not only all around Paris but also all over the world. Ladurée’s macarons are offered in the standard size as well as a mini version. As per an estimate, the four Laudrée shops in Paris collectively sell 12,000 macarons per day — approximately 4.3 million per year.

#Fact 3 Macaron Day in New York City

Famed pastry chef Francois Payard founded the first Macaron Day in New York City in March of 2010. To celebrate the French treat, participating bakeries in New York City offer free macarons to customers. A portion of macaron sales is donated to City Harvest, a non-profit organization that feeds more than two million New Yorkers each year. The NYC celebration coincides with the original Jour du Macaron in Paris, founded by Pierre Hermé.

#Fact 4 They are gluten-free

The ingredients used in a traditional macaron cookie are naturally gluten-free: almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, granulated sugar. The filling — cream, ganache, or jam, is also gluten-free. However, it is important to note that some flavors of macarons may contain gluten, based on the kinds of extra ingredients that are added to the cookies or buttercream. If a bakery advertises that they are making gluten-free goods, it has been careful to avoid cross-contamination while working with those ingredients.

#Fact 5 Traditional Macarons are not vegan

Traditional Macarons are made up of meringue shells or cookies and buttercream filling. The meringue shells are made using egg whites, almond flour, and sugar. So they are not vegan. While there are lots of macrons available in the market that do not contain egg white, they may have some type of animal-derived ingredients. Bakers also use aquafaba, an eggless alternative to the meringue. Aquafaba is the juice from chickspeas and is high in protein content. 

About Macaron Queen

We make dozens of delectable macaron flavors, including red velvet, key lime, champagne, and french raspberry. Our macarons are often said to taste better than the originals from France. We make these treats for private parties, celebrities, fashion spreads, music videos, and movie sets.