Mazapán de Toledo

The story

Mazapán de Toledo, sweets made of ground almonds and sugar, carry a protected geographical indication tied to the province of Toledo, in whose capital city marzipan has been associated for centuries with the local convents—the nuns of several Toledo convents, including the well-known convent of San Clemente, were long the keepers of the traditional recipes and of the techniques for shaping marzipan into tiny figures, fruits, and geometric forms. The tradition of almond sweets in the area itself reflects the centuries of Moorish rule and the rich history of almond growing on the Iberian Peninsula, an origin similar to that of turrón. Because of the precise technique of grinding the almonds into a fine paste, and shaping that takes real skill, mazapán de Toledo today is bought almost exclusively from specialized confectioners who carry the name and the tradition of the city, and is rarely attempted at home in its full, authentic form. At Christmas it is eaten all over Spain, alongside turrón. For Spanish families in the diaspora, a box of genuine Toledo marzipan, sent or brought from Spain, carries a special weight of authenticity.