Bethmännchen / Frankfurter Bethmännchen

Bethmännchen sometimes also referred to a Frankfurter Bethmännchen refer to a German pastry of marzipan balls which originated from Frankfurt am Main. This pastry is generally prepared for the Christmas Holidays, not only in Frankfurt, but all over Germany. It is one of the sources of pride among the Frankfurters. Bethmännchen is named after the family of Simon Moritz von Bethmann, but the inventor was actually Jean Jacques Gautenier, a Frenchman who worked as a Chef at the Frankfurt banking family of the Bethmann. It is said that Jean Jacques Gautenier who was a Parisian pastry Chef developed the recipe at his home in 1838. Bethmännchen which is a German word which literally means "little Bethmann" (perhaps representing the 4 sons of the Bethmann) is a made from marzipan with almond, powdered sugar, rosewater, flour, and egg. The three (3) almonds that decorate the marzipan balls represents the three (3) sons of Simon Moritz von Bethmann who was the head/leader at that time of the Frankfurt Stadtrat. He and his wife have actually four (4) sons and it was said that the wife actually decorated the marzipan balls with 4 almonds, but when one of his sons died, the almonds which decorated the marzipan balls were reduced to three (3), representing her 3 remaining sons.