RuvidaMente
Marzipan is a traditional Arab pastry ingredient imported to Sicily in the thirteenth century. It is prepared by crushing the almonds together with sugar (and possibly
honey), binding them with egg whites and flavoring them with orange blossom water and vanilla. If the fusion of almonds and sugar is cold, it is called Royal Paste or Almond
Paste.
If, on the other hand, it takes place on the stove, over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely, then the dough is called Marzipan. The most typical
marzipan-based preparation of the island is the Frutta di Martorana.
The name derives from a convent near Palermo whose nuns were the first, on the occasion of the November commemorations of the saints and the dead, to prepare marzipan
sweets that perfectly imitate various types of fruit and vegetables.
Later it became a tradition of Palermo families to go to the Convent to buy sweets, until the idea spread throughout the island and the various pastry chefs indulged
themselves with the most imaginative subjects, from bread and salami to roast chicken thigh, pasta with sauce and so on.
The craftsman who works the frutta Martorana must be endowed with great creativity and technical skill, but he must also know how to work very quickly to
prevent prolonged manipulation from bringing out the almond oil with which the paste is soaked, ruining the appearance and taste of the product.
The final touch is entrusted to the use of colors, strictly natural, and polishing which, according to tradition, is obtained with a thin layer of gum arabic.
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