A Passion for Macarons
They’re round, they’re cute, they’re colourful and they’re quite remarkably tasty. Discover the story of an emblematic PAUL pâtisserie that turns the heads of
gourmets from London to Singapore and all over the world.
It’s sooo French! Discover the origins of this sweet treat that has travelled the world
The macaron may be the most coveted pastry in Paris, and an undisputed symbol of the French Art de Vivre, but this sweet delicacy has more far-flung roots. Whilst some sources cite products similar to the macaron existing as far back as the Middle Ages, the official history of the French macaron began in the Renaissance, courtesy of an Italian Queen! Like other essentials of French pâtisserie (choux pastry comes to mind!), the macaron would have arrived in France with the suite of Queen Catherine of Medici, who would have brought these little almond biscuits with her. These were probably themselves inspired by oriental pastries – something we often find to be the case when looking into the history of almond recipes. The name itself would have come from the Italian Maccherone or Macaroni. Look beyond the legend, and you’ll find that numerous French regions have added to the development of macaron recipes over the centuries, with contributions from everyone from the monastic tradition to secular pastry chefs! Nancy, Amiens, St. Jean de Luz and St. Emilion are only some of the names we could mention. In these early years, a macaron was simply a round biscuit, more or less crunchy or soft, more or less flat or rounded, made with almonds, egg, sugar or honey. It wasn’t until the 19th Century that the idea of bringing two biscuits together with a melting heart of cream, jam or ganache became popular.
Of course it was in Paris that the idea of adding colour or flavour to the biscuit itself (also known as the ‘shell’) finally appeared, paving the way for all those flamboyant fantasies and moments of gourmet sweetness that, like haute couture, have made the reputation both of Paris and of France herself. The ‘Parisian Macaron’ was born, and was soon to become a worldwide star!
The pretty ‘circle’ of PAUL macaroons
PAUL has made a significant contribution to the popularity of macaroons, both in France and in the different countries where the brand is present, by making these gorgeous sweet treats, formerly reserved only for luxury pâtisseries, available to as many people as possible. All without compromising on the quality of their ingredients. Quite the opposite!
Let’s start with the biscuit ‘shell’: egg whites, sugar and pure ground almonds are used in all our macarons, with the exception of the iconic pistachio macaron, which of course has a biscuit shell enriched with ground pistachios – full of intense, fragrant flavour. Our simple choice to use generous amounts of ground almonds in our macaron recipe explains why the texture of the finished biscuit shell is sometimes irregular or slightly grainy. You can see the generosity with the naked eye! The colours and flavours we use all come from only natural ingredients, in accordance with our commitments in this area. This is a real challenge for products known for their vibrant colours. But we have proved that we can see la vie en rose without resorting to artificial colours! For the fillings between the biscuit shells, we also select only the finest ingredients: chocolate ganache, Madagascan vanilla, salted butter Caramel AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) from Isigny, slow-cooked raspberries . . .
Alongside these large macarons, the star of pleasurable snacks, PAUL offers pretty boxes of mini macarons, mini treats in pastel colours to nibble, to give as a gift, or to treat yourself to! They may be small, but they are mighty in their natural colours and flavours, with pure ground almonds from the almond tree, as well as being both vegetarian and respectful of animal wellbeing, made only with eggs from chickens reared outdoors. And we are delighted to offer you all these compelling arguments that you can use to forgive yourself for indulging in these delicious temptations!
So there you have it. Whether they are crunchy or crispy, large or small, gourmand or gourmet, fruity or chocolaty, our circle of macarons just keeps on turning!
