The macaroon, a well-known cookie made from ground nuts and coconut, that is also often seen in Jewish households during Passover as it is leavened with egg whites and therefore meets the dietary restrictions of the holiday.
Italian Jews passed on the recipe for this flourless cookie to the Ashkenazi, who made it a staple of both Passover and their everyday life.
Almond macaroons (sometimes referred to as "macarons") can be traced back to 1792, in an Italian monastery. The name comes from the Italian word for paste, maccarone, which refers to almond paste. (Macaroni means flour paste.) Later, two Carmelite nuns, hiding in the town of Nancy during the French Revolution, baked and sold macaroons to cover their expenses. They became known as "Macaroon Sisters."
