International Marzipan Day: January 12nd

On January 12, the International Marzipan Day is commemorated worldwide thanks to this dessert whose origin is quite uncertain, since hundreds of years ago the first written references to this product were mentioned in Toledo in the year 1512, however, it is now a world-class sweet.

What is the origin of marzipan?

According to the text entitled ‘Searching for the cradle of Toledo marzipan. La cocina del monasterio de San Clemente en el siglo XIV’, written by José Carlos Vizuete Mendoza, the original recipe of marzipan, that is, with almonds and sugar, was ‘born’ in the year 1202 in Spain, exactly in the Convent of San Clemente, after the so-called battle of Navas de Tolosa.

That’s right, contrary to what you might think, marzipan is not from Mexico. What does originate in our country is the famous De la Rosa marzipan. In 1942, the married couple Jesús Michel González and Elvira Velasco Rolón decided to open an artisan candy company in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

According to Forbes Mexico magazine, the marzipan we know today in our country was created in 1950, when Don Jesús changed the original almond recipe a little, since it was an expensive seed, so he made it his own using peanuts. Soon after it was marketed, people called it «marzipan of the rose», because of the flower stamped on the packaging.

Curiosities related to Marzipan Day

Some of the curiosities related to Marzipan Day are:

In 2018, in Guadalajara an event was held that consisted of the elaboration of the largest Marzipan in the world. This had repercussions even in the Guinness World Records, weighing 8 tons.

Mexican people consume a great amount of this dish, up to 10 million can be baked in one day.

The marzipans of medieval times were printed with the seated effigies of the monarchs of Spain.

The most famous marzipans are those originating in Jalisco, Toledo and the German ones called Lübecker.

Toledo is home to the Provincial Association of Marzipan Producers. In 2002, this association achieved the approval of the Protected Geographical Indication Marzipan of Toledo, in order to keep the traditional recipe regulated and certified.

The book One Thousand and One Nights mentions this delicacy in one of its stories.