National Macaron Day And The Story Of Macarons In France

Last updated on July 3rd, 2025 at 07:37 am

How do they celebrate National Macaron Day in France, and did they originate from France or Italy?

This bite-sized sweet treat is seen in nearly every patisserie in France in a range of pretty pastel colours, but where did they come from?

There is much debate over their origin, but it’s widely believed they came from Italy, although not in the way we have them today.

In my local Leclerc supermarket at La Rochefoucauld, they dominate the patisserie display in a big pyramid, and I usually end up succumbing and buying some.

It’s a wonder I’m not about twenty stone the amount of bread, cheese, and cakes I eat. But I’ve fully embraced the French way of life, which includes buying your bread fresh every day, having cheese with every meal, and of course, indulging in a sweet treat.

So, let’s dive in and find out more about National Macaron Day and how the macaron has become something we associate with France.

When Is National Macaron Day?

It’s the same day every year, the 20th of March and was started in 2005 by Pierre Hermé, the famous pastry chef. The idea was for the big patisseries to get together to raise money for charity through macrons. 

Participating shops will give out free samples and donate part of their takings to a local charity. Recently, the money raised went to support victims of the Ukraine War.

It became so successful that in 2010, Chef François Payard founded the first National Macaron Day in New York City.

But it doesn’t stop there. Here in the Poitou-Charente in the Vienne department, we even have a museum dedicated to macarons, Musée du Macaron. 

It’s run by Maison Rannou-Métivier in Montmorillon, a little town famous for its macarons dating back to the 17th century. 

You can take the full 90-minute tour and learn all about the history of the macaron in France, and if you’re lucky, learn the secret macaron recipe that has been passed down through five generations of Maison Rannou-Métivier.

The Difference Between Macaroons And Macarons

It’s easy to be fooled into thinking these are one and the same, but they’re not. 

• Origin: Both macaroons and macarons have Italian roots. However, macarons made their way to France, where they became the sweet treat we know and love today.
• Ingredients: Macaroons are made with shredded coconut, sugar, and egg whites, making them dense and chewy. Macarons use almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and a filling like buttercream or jam, resulting in a delicate, meringue-like texture.
• Appearance: Macaroons have a rugged, lumpy appearance with a golden-brown exterior. In contrast, macarons are known for their smooth, rounded shells, vibrant colours, and a creamy filling sandwiched between two shells.
• Texture: Macaroons offer a moist and dense texture, whereas macarons feature a crisp exterior with a soft and slightly chewy interior.

The History Of The Macaron in France

There has been much debate over the origin of the macron, but one thing is for sure, they did not originate from France.

The Macaron in the Middle East

If we go back to 600 AD to the Arab empire, it was here that the macaron first made an appearance as a sweet cookie made of honey and nut flour, probably pistachio. 

When the empire expanded into Sicily, it took the recipe with them, and that’s how it was introduced into Italy. 

The Sicillian’s name for it was “maccheroni” because that’s how they referred to any food made from something that had been ground.

As time went on, the recipe developed further with egg whites added and the pistachio flour substituted for almond flour, which was more readily available.

This sweetened version, leavened with egg whites, is more along the lines of what we think of when we think about Italian macaroons. You’ll hear it referred to in Italy as ‘amaretti’.

However, they were nothing like the French variety found in the patisseries today. 

There were no pretty coloured biscuits sandwiched together with a lovely gooey filling and slightly crunchy on the outside. Oh no, they were rough, brown, round-shaped, almond-based biscuity offerings made from almonds, egg whites, and sugar.

In fact, due to their shape, they were called ‘priest’s belly buttons,’ which may also have had something to do with the fact that they were said to have been made in Venetian monasteries.

How the macaron arrived in France

Anyway, it was when Catherine de’ Medici came to France from Italy in 1533 to marry Henry II that they first made their appearance here. She brought the recipe with her, and it all went from there.

Records show that in 1682, when Louis XV moved to Versailles, he served them to his guests, and they continued to make the rounds in royal circles but weren’t readily available to the French people.

It wasn’t until the French Revolution that this changed, and it was down to two Carmelite nuns, Marguerite and Marie-Elisabeth, looking for refuge in the town of Nancy in North-Eastern France, trying to escape persecution.

These two nuns were good at making pastries, and they sold macarons to support themselves. And like a shining star, the popularity of the macarons in France started to rise. 

They became known as the “Macarons de Nancy.” And if you ever find yourself in Nancy, you can visit La Maison des Sœurs Macarons, established in 1793 and said to have the original recipe the sisters used.

It wasn’t till early in the 17th century that the first written recipe for a macaron was recorded in ‘A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen’, written by John Murrell.

Maison Ladurée, The Home Of Macarons In France

The story of the macaron as we know it today all started with Maison Ladurée and Louis Ernest Ladurée, the man who opened a bakery in Paris in 1862.

In 1871, there was a fire at the bakery, so rather than give up and go home, Ernest decided to turn it into a patisserie.

They enlisted the help of Jules Chéret, a French painter and poster designer of the 19th century, to help decorate the patisserie. He used the recently designed Opera Garnier for inspiration, adding little cherubs to the ceiling, which became known as ‘pastry angels’.

It was Louis’ wife, Jeanne Souchard, who thought of combining the patisserie with a cafe, giving birth to one of the first ‘salon de thé’ in Paris.

Then finally, Pierre Desfontaines, Louis’ cousin, came up with the idea of taking two macaron shells and joining them with a ganache filling. 

Et voilà the modern French macaron was born.

📍 16-18 Rue Royale, 75008 Paris | Check opening times

How To Make Macarons Like The French

I have to say I’ve never been brave enough to give this a go myself. I’m more of a cook than a baker. And besides, with all the patisseries we have here in France, why would I?I always think these things are best left to the experts, and I found a great Martha Stewart recipe that is popular and works.

Top 10 Most Popular Macaron Fillings:

• Chocolate ganache
• Vanilla buttercream
• Raspberry jam
• Salted caramel
• Lemon curd
• Pistachio cream
• Coffee buttercream
• Nutella
• Strawberry buttercream
• Coconut cream

FAQS: The Significance Of Macarons In France

Final thoughts: Celebrating National Macaron Day in France

Well, I don’t know about you, but I will absolutely be celebrating National Macaron Day. As I live in France, it would be a sin not to, and I think I might visit the macaron museum as it’s only just over an hour’s drive.

The food is just one of the many things I love about living in France, and I love discovering the history behind some of their most iconic dishes, bread and pastries.

I recently discovered that the croissant didn’t actually originate in France, quite a shock.

And the baguette has three possible contenders for how it originated. 

Not to mention the stories behind some of the most famous dishes, including the tasty Tarte Tatin, Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, and the quintessentially French Coq au Vin.