Even in the ancient world, a marzipan-like sweet, made of honey and almonds, was well known in the Orient. This treasured sweet was packed in so-called “massapana” boxes. The word, massapana, comes from “mauthaban”. This was the name of a Byzantine coin from around 1000 AD, which showed Christ enthroned (mauthaban = sitting man). The price of a box marzipan at that time corresponded to the value of one mauthaban. The name of the coin eventually turned into the name of the box and then the name of the box’s contents. The word, massapana, became the Italian word, “marzapane”, which in turn became the German word, “marzipan”.

Marzipan is a confectionery. It consists of raw marzipan mass, rose water (sometimes), and no more than the same weight in sugar. In the past, when sugar still came exclusively from overseas, marzipan was so expensive that it was reserved as a delicacy for princes and kings. Thanks to the “continental system” imposed by Napoleon, and the resulting lack of sugar supplies, the German chemist Franz Karl Achard developed a process for extracting sugar from native sugar beet. This made sugar and, therefore, marzipan affordable for the people. Today, marzipan’s sugar content can be partly replaced by glucose syrup and/or sorbitol.

Raw marzipan mass is a manufactured mass made from blanched, peeled sweet almonds (with a maximum 17% moisture), sugar (maximum 35%), and almond oil (at least 28%). A small amount of bitter almonds are also used to round off its taste. The brown almonds are simmered at 96°C and peeled with the aid of rubber rollers, which remove the seed’s skin. The almonds are either selected electronically and/or by hand.

Then they are washed, hackled, mixed with sugar and other ingredients, and finely ground into a pasty mass. This mass is heated until the water content has been reduced to a pre-specified value. This procedure is called, “roasting” and is where marzipan develops its typical marzipan taste. Adding invert sugar syrup encourages the development of caramel flavours. The mass is then cooled and stored in blocks to allow it to further mature and develop its flavour.

Before the raw marzipan can be shaped into loaves, potatoes, pigs etc., or used in pralines or chocolate fillings, it is usually kneaded with finely ground sugar (powdered sugar) to become actual marzipan. This process is called “mixing”.

We only use fine marzipan in our RITTER SPORT Marzipan. Only marzipan that is produced at an above average quality may be called fine marzipan. This quality essentially depends on three factors: the quality of the almonds, the fineness and malleableness of the mass, and the sugar used in the “mixing” process.

Fine marzipan must contain at least 70% raw marzipan mass (labelled: 70/30). The amount of sugar used during shaping may not exceed 30%. Here at RITTER SPORT, marzipan is not liquefied when used as a filling. This ensures that it retains its particularly fine taste. Instead, the marzipan mass is preformed by machine and placed into chocolate cases. In this way, we create the perfect combination of dark chocolate and fine marzipan. You can taste the difference.