storage
The almond paste can be kept in the refrigerator, wrapped in transparent film, for a couple of weeks . To always have it ready, you can also prepare it in large quantities, portion it into 200 gram blocks and freeze it. Almond pastes, on the other hand, can be kept at room temperature for 2-3 weeks, inside an airtight container or tin can.
Origins and history
As often happens with traditional recipes, the origins of marzipan are rather uncertain. In fact, it seems that a similar preparation, based on dried fruit and cane sugar, was already widespread in the sixth century among the Arab populations: according to this legend, it was therefore during the Islamic domination of the island that the marzipan arrived in Sicily . However, a second version seems to be more accredited, which places the birth of the dessert in the Martorana Convent, in Palermo, at the end of the 1100s. The convent was annexed to the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, named in honor of Giorgio d’Antiochia, who was in fact the admiral of the king of the time, Roger II. The link with the crown, albeit indirect, probably explains why marzipan is also called marzipan: its goodness made it worthy of a king.
