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Marzipan

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Persipan is a common marzipan substitute based on apricot or peach stones. If you like buying ready-made dominoes or studs during the Christmas season, you’ve probably come across Persipan.

Marzipan is found in many popular sweets – the sweet ingredient with the subtle bitter note is often used, especially at Christmas time.

Use of Persipan and how to recognize it

Persipan tastes a little stronger than marzipan and can be used in the same way. The marzipan substitute is mainly used in industrial pastries. You will often find it in stollen and dominoes as well as other Christmas cookies.

According to the guiding principle for fine baked goods, manufacturers must label the use of Persipan. For example, the addition “with Persipan” can appear on the product.

But you can always look at the list of ingredients for marzipan baked goods: the higher up the list of ingredients almonds are, the higher the quality of the marzipan used is likely to be. Some manufacturers not only replace marzipan with persipan, but also add pulses to save even more money.

Persipan: Health and Sustainability

You may have heard that apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which can produce toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body. However, you can consume Persipan without hesitation – the amygdalin is removed from the apricot kernels during the production of Persipan. However, just like marzipan, you should use persipan sparingly, as the mixture is very high in sugar.

Almonds are healthy, but not very sustainable: they often come from far away and growing them uses a lot of water. No sustainability data can be found for Persipan. However, since apricot and peach stones are basically waste products, persipan is probably more sustainable than marzipan.

Of course, this also depends on where the kernels come from – you probably won’t find this out with Persipan in industrial products. In any case, it is better if you prepare your own Christmas cookies using high-quality ingredients.

Persipan is a common marzipan substitute based on apricot or peach stones. If you like buying ready-made dominoes or studs during the Christmas season, you’ve probably come across Persipan.

Marzipan is found in many popular sweets – the sweet ingredient with the subtle bitter note is often used, especially at Christmas time.

Use of Persipan and how to recognize it

Persipan tastes a little stronger than marzipan and can be used in the same way. The marzipan substitute is mainly used in industrial pastries. You will often find it in stollen and dominoes as well as other Christmas cookies.

According to the guiding principle for fine baked goods, manufacturers must label the use of Persipan. For example, the addition “with Persipan” can appear on the product.

But you can always look at the list of ingredients for marzipan baked goods: the higher up the list of ingredients almonds are, the higher the quality of the marzipan used is likely to be. Some manufacturers not only replace marzipan with persipan, but also add pulses to save even more money.

Persipan: Health and Sustainability

You may have heard that apricot kernels contain amygdalin, which can produce toxic hydrocyanic acid in the body. However, you can consume Persipan without hesitation – the amygdalin is removed from the apricot kernels during the production of Persipan. However, just like marzipan, you should use persipan sparingly, as the mixture is very high in sugar.

Almonds are healthy, but not very sustainable: they often come from far away and growing them uses a lot of water. No sustainability data can be found for Persipan. However, since apricot and peach stones are basically waste products, persipan is probably more sustainable than marzipan.

Of course, this also depends on where the kernels come from – you probably won’t find this out with Persipan in industrial products. In any case, it is better if you prepare your own Christmas cookies using high-quality ingredients.

To make marzipan yourself, you only need two ingredients: almonds and sugar. With this recipe you can easily make your own marzipan.

What is marzipan made of?

Traditionally, marzipan consists of ground almonds, sugar and rose water. The proportions of the ingredients are decisive for the quality. According to the legal requirements, a maximum of 17% liquid, 35% sugar and 48% almonds may be used for the marzipan paste. However, manufacturers usually add more sugar for commercial marzipan. Only with very high-quality products, such as certain fine marzipan brands, is no additional sugar mixed in.

Make marzipan yourself: The basic recipe

For the homemade marzipan you need these ingredients:

200 g almond kernels with skin (alternatively walnuts)
150g powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid (classic here is homemade rose water or from the pharmacy or health food store)
Preparation:

Boil the almonds in about a liter of water for a minute or two.
Pour the almonds into a colander.
Let them cool down a bit.
Peel them by squeezing them out of the skin with your fingers.
Crush the almonds in a good blender. Depending on the moisture content of the almonds, you will get a mealy to mushy mass.
Place the ground almonds in a bowl.
Sift in the powdered sugar.
Add a tablespoon of rose water.
Now knead all the ingredients by hand into a smooth dough. You may need to add some more liquid. (This also depends on whether you dried your almonds after cooking).
When the marzipan is ready, store it airtight in the fridge – e.g. in a screw-top jar.
Then the homemade marzipan is ready for further processing!

Depending on your taste, you can use other liquids instead of rose water. Orange liqueur or amaretto, for example, are suitable, but also a few drops of bitter almond oil. This makes the mass a bit bitter and more intense in taste.

Which almonds are best for marzipan?

Almonds belong to the rose family and probably originally come from Southeast Asia. Today the kernels are also cultivated in Pakistan, Iran or in the Mediterranean region. However, more than 80 percent of the almonds grown worldwide come from the USA, more precisely from California.

However, there has been a drought for several years. Almond cultivation plays its part: to harvest one kilo of almonds in California, about 10,000 liters of water are used. The high water requirements of the almond orchards are also critical in European growing areas.

So when you buy almonds, make sure they’re not from California. The long transport route halfway around the world also worsens the ecological balance. At best, buy almonds from Europe and from controlled organic cultivation.

Instead of almonds, you can also use regionally grown, organic walnuts for the marzipan. The process is the same and the taste is very similar to almond marzipan.