It starts in spring and ends in your tummy: the life of a marzipan Santa. In this article, the sweet almondy man himself tells us where he originated and how far his journey can go. A story by Sina Bahr.
I admit: When it comes to Christmas sweets, I'm rarely the first choice in Germany. No wonder, because I have strong competition. Speculoos biscuits, vanilla crescents, gingerbread and chocolate are usually eaten more than I am. Over 24 million people said in a survey that they rarely or never eat me – while the number of my loyal fans was significantly lower. And yet, especially at the end of the year, it is impossible to imagine German supermarket shelves without me. Because marzipan is a tradition in this country.From the Orient to Lübeck
However, the fact that I am allowed to lead the life of a marzipan Santa Claus today is not just because of German traditions. Historians trace my origin back to the Orient, where the almond-sugar mixture was considered a remedy as early as 900 AD. It was not until the late Middle Ages that marzipan became established in Germany, with the first factories emerging in the 19th century. Johann Georg Niederegger also started production in Lübeck at this time. Today, Lübeck marzipan is considered one of the oldest and best-known.So marzipan has a long history in which shape, colour and artistic elaboration have constantly been evolving. In addition to classic marzipan balls, nowadays you can get colourful figures such as yours truly. And there is always an exciting process behind it – starting with the ingredients, some of which come from different places around the world.
Some people love marzipan, others don't like it at all, but there's one thing we can all agree on: a marzipan Santa is pretty to look at. | © Funsch Marzipan
O almond tree, o almond tree!
Classic marzipan is usually made from just three ingredients: almonds, sugar and water. Of these, almonds are the most important for the strong taste. Almond trees prefer a Mediterranean and dry climate, so typical cultivation areas are in California and Spain. But there are also a few spots in Germany where almond trees thrive, for example in the south of the Pfalz region, where there is a mild, almost Mediterranean climate.The almonds that make up my body come from California or the Mediterranean, from countries like Spain, Morocco or Turkey. This is the story told by Hans-Peter Zürner, managing director of Funsch Marzipan – the factory in which I first saw the light of day.
One hundred tonnes of marzipan paste
In Weidenberg, in the district of Bayreuth, the family-owned company and its approximately 30 employees create a wide variety of marzipan figures all year round: Bunnies for Easter, pumpkins for Halloween, lucky pigs for New Year's Eve or Santa Clause figures in the winter. As different as we look, we have all gone through the same steps. It starts a few months before our respective season starts. In my case, this means: Christmas spirit already prevails in the factory in spring!First of all, marzipan paste is needed. Funsch has it produced according to his own recipe by an external company. In order to make a stand-up figure, the consistency must be right: fine, easy to shape, but also firm enough for the figure not to fall over. The finished paste is delivered in heat-sealed blocks, and more than a hundred tonnes are usually ordered for the winter season.
Production with machine support: People and machine work closely together at Funsch to produce large quantities of figures. | © Funsch Marzipan
Machines, get to work!
As soon as the paste arrives at the factory, it undergoes further processing. This is because the mixture is only considered marzipan at a minimum ratio of 50 per cent paste to 50 per cent sugar. At Funsch, they use seven parts paste to three parts sugar, resulting in the fine marzipan quality. The more almond and less sugar content, the higher the quality and more expensive the finished product.Huge vats with agitators are used for the mixing process, blending the paste and sugar together mechanically. The finished marzipan mixture is then compressed to make a figure. An upper and lower shell, which together form my body shape, are pressed together with a hand press – and then a naked Santa Claus can be taken out. From sticky mass to finished form: this is achieved quickly thanks to mechanical help.
Finishing touches by hand
The crucial craftsmanship only begins afterwards, when it comes to giving the colourless figures their final touch. For this, my Santa siblings and I are lined up on the edge of a turntable. Step by step we come to life, with the help of a nozzle, brush and airbrush. Eyes, beard, hat and suit are precisely applied by a person from the Funsch team until the table is full of men in bright red outfits, who are now looking forward to being nicely wrapped and shipped.Where does their journey lead?
Funsch supplies wholesalers, bakeries and other shops in half of Europe, Canada and the USA. Some of us are even transported by ship. We are most popular in the German-speaking countries and Scandinavia. But people in Italy also enjoy German marzipan.However, I don’t mind exactly where my journey takes me. It is much more important that people see me in the shops and enthusiastically take me home with them or even gift me to their loved ones – until at some point I gaze into a pair of gleefully shining eyes and then I‘m gobbled up. Then I have fulfilled my task, and end up happy and satisfied in hungry bellies, somewhere alongside cookies, gingerbread and chocolate.
December 2024
