Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A confection made of ground almonds or almond paste, egg whites, and sugar, often molded into decorative shapes.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A confection made of almonds and sugar mixed into a paste and molded into shapes. Same as marchpane

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A confection of almond paste, sugar and egg white.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun almond paste and egg whites

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German Marzipan, from Italian marzapane, from Old Italian, fine container for comfits, marzipan, probably ultimately (via Arabic marṭabā and Persian martabā, fine glazed jar) after Martaban, (now Mottama), a port on the Gulf of Martaban from which fine glazed earthenware jars filled with preserves and sweetmeats were exported in medieval times.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

German Marzipan, earlier marcipan, a misinterpretation of Italian marzapane (as if from Latin Marci panis "Mark's bread"), now thought originally to come from Martaban (မုတ္ထမ), a Burmese port known for its spice exports.

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Examples

  • They're little cakes that are brushed with an apirot glaze, coated in marzipan and then topped with poured fondant.

    Cupcake Poll #17 - Tea Cakes 2008

  • For lunch, macaroons and white chocolates filled with marzipan from the farmer's market near Wall Street.

    Bad economy, bad diet? Stress takes toll on fitness 2008

  • I then rolled out 2 mooshed together 7 oz packages of Odense marzipan from the supermarket.

    The Icing on the Cake Lindy 2005

  • I then rolled out 2 mooshed together 7 oz packages of Odense marzipan from the supermarket.

    Toast: Lindy 2005

  • While the modern word marzipan now means the filling, the name originally described the casing; marzapane comes from the Arabic word mauthaban that meant the jars the candy came in.

    Slate Articles Dan Jurafsky 2011

  • In fact, "marzipan" is often used to refer to fondant even if there's no actual almond paste in it therefore making it not marzipan.

    Goodbye Captain Eo Jen 2009

  • We used dyed gum to make the hands, but you can also work with any other edible treat that can be molded (such as marzipan).

    Slashfood 2009

  • There are even recipes for Christmas delicacies, such as marzipan and metzel soup, from the cookbook of Pennsylvania Dutch food historian William Woys Weaver.

    Berks county news 2009

  • There are even recipes for Christmas delicacies, such as marzipan and metzel soup, from the cookbook of Pennsylvania Dutch food historian William Woys Weaver.

    Berks county news 2009

  • We used dyed gum to make the hands, but you can also work with any other edible treat that can be molded (such as marzipan).

    Slashfood 2009

Comments

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  • I never ever buy this an now I remember why: I can eat an entire package in under an hour.

    July 24, 2007

  • I remember bit o'honey bars (once you bit into one, you could not move your teeth) Do not know bit o'heaven. Just as well, I am sure.

    But I do have a weakness for marzipan anything.

    July 24, 2007

  • Oh, I'm sorry. It was a 5oz package of marzipan. My tummy protested, but the flesh was weak.

    July 24, 2007

  • And yes, I do remember the bit o' honey bars. For some reason, I associate them with Cheerios.

    July 24, 2007

  • If I buy any marzipan, I will have to hide it with the Eskimo Pies. ;-)

    July 24, 2007

  • That's no good. I know where you keep those!

    July 24, 2007

  • Uh oh!

    July 24, 2007

  • Marzipan is Homestar Runner's girlfriend.

    July 25, 2007

  • She looks like a pink baseball bat!

    Oh, and s--I remember Bit O' Honey bars. My dentist does too.

    July 25, 2007