What does marzipan mean?
Word: Marzipan
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Marzipan means a sweet, firm paste of ground almonds and sugar.
How do you spell marzipan?
Syllables: mar - zi - pan
Tricky part: The sound in the middle tempts pupils to write an s, as they might in raisin. The word has a z.
Watch out for: marsipan, marssipan
Memory tip: Marzipan has the buzz of a bee at its heart: the buzzing letter is the one in the middle.
Marzipan in a sentence
Example 1: The bakery in Panaji makes marzipan shaped like tiny mangoes.
Example 2: Mum bought a box of marzipan from the sweet shop as a birthday treat.
Example 3: Layered with marzipan, the cake tasted richly of almonds.
Fun Fact
The German city of Lubeck is famous for marzipan, and the name Lubecker Marzipan is protected, so only makers from that area may use it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
m_rzip_n
a) a, a
b) a, e
c) e, a
d) o, a
Show answer
a) a, a. Both gaps take the same vowel.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
marzipann
a) p
b) n
c) m
d) r
Show answer
b) n. Pan closes the word, with a single final letter.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Aunt Rosa rolled out the namzpiar and laid it neatly over the fruit cake.
a) molasses
b) marzipan
c) mustard
d) muesli
Show answer
b) marzipan. A z is hiding in the jumble, and that settles it.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is misspelt. Choose the meaning of that word:
1. caramal 2. meringue 3. custard 4. marzipan
a) a soft almond sweet
b) a sweet yellow sauce of milk and eggs
c) sugar heated until it turns brown
d) a crisp sweet of baked egg white
Show answer
c) sugar heated until it turns brown. Caramel ends in el, like camel.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why is marzipan easy to shape into tiny fruits?
a) it pours like thick cream
b) it crumbles like dry biscuit
c) it keeps any form you press
d) it sets as hard as glass
Show answer
c) it keeps any form you press
2. Which of these foods is the closest relative of marzipan?
a) a chewy almond nougat
b) a plain slice of bread
c) a fried onion ring
d) a salted potato crisp
Show answer
a) a chewy almond nougat
