Macarons, a meringue-based treat made with egg white, sugar, almonds, and food coloring sandwichimg a ganache filling, are elegance and beauty in the form of edibility. Sold in classy boxes at shops like Ladurée and in chic coffee shops across all cosmopolitan cities, macarons are a go-to when you’re feeling fancy. We devour macarons like they’re going out of style, so here are eight things you probably didn’t know about these palm-sized confections.
1. They didn’t originate in France.
Photo by Rachel Beck
Contrary to popular belief, the OG macarons date back to 1533, Italy. When Italian noblewoman Catherine de’ Medici married Henry II of France, she brought her pastry chefs with her to France, who brought with them their macaron recipe. At the time, macarons were only produced as a single cookie, but over time, the French refined the recipe so that it became the two-part cookie, one-part filling treat we know and love today.
2. They have more in common with pasta than you thought.
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
The word macaron stems from the same origin of the word macaroni, both meaning “fine dough.”
3. Ladurée Paris sells over 4,000,000 macarons per year.
Photo by Angela Bersani
Between the four Laudrée shop in Paris, they collectively sell 12,000 macarons per day, making that approximately 4.3 million per year.
4. You can get free macarons on March 20 (…in NYC).
Photo by Alex Kaneshiro
March 20 marks Macaron Day in New York City. Check out their official website to find out which shops will be handing out free macarons on this glorious holiday.
5. But there’s a national celebration too.
Photo by Alec MacLean
If you missed New York’s macaron celebration, never fear. May 31 is National Macaron Day and it’s not too late to start planning the festivities for this year.
6. It is the most popular sweet sold in France.
Photo by Nirupa Rao
Okay, you may have already known this one, but unsurprisingly, the macaron is the most widely sold sweet treat in in France, with double the following that its rivals the éclair and gateaux have.
7. Macarons are 100 calories or less.
Photo by Chelsea Pe Benito
The average macaron has between 70 and 100 calories. This may seem like a lot for such a tiny, airy treat, but put in perspective, a bakery cupcake is nearly 600 calories. One cupcake versus six macarons. Think about it.
8. It isn’t uncommon for Ladurée to team up with fashion designers.
Photo by Angela Bersani
Luxury eats should travel in style. That’s why Ladurée frequently collaborates with high fashion giants such as Emilio Pucci and Christian Louboutin to design Ladurée’s macaron boxes.