The Macaroon, the weapon of mass taste
Extract: “……..to be precise, this macaroon war started on 24 September 1997. On that day, Pierre Hermé, one of the leading young contemporary pastry chefs, inaugurated the Ladurée tearooms on the Champs-Elysées. All the house advertising was focused on macaroons. Along the same lines as chocolates, Hermé introduced exotic flavours such as essence of rose into the macaroon, and gave it a ‘cool’ air. It was a big hit. The popularity ratings of macaroons skyrocketed to levels unequalled since its creation in 1793 in Nancy by two Benedictine nuns………………………”