Calisson d'Aix / Calisson

Calisson d'Aix refers to a delicate, diamond-shaped Provençal sweet prepared with almonds, candied oranges, melon or apricots, egg white, sugar, and confiture of oranges or apricots. Calisson is made from a smooth paste of ground almonds and candied melon, and covered in bright, white royal icing in Aix-en-Provence in France.

Calisson refer to the sweet white diamonds that have been synonymous with Aix since the 15th century. They were created to celebrate the marriage of local hero, Roy René and Princess Jeanne de Laval in 1454 and since then Aix has been celebrating with their "white diamonds" called Calisson. There are so many myth and legend about this local delicacy. It was alleged that Paul Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence’s favorite son, was fuelled by Calissons while at work on his canvasses. Back in the 17th century it was claimed that eating a Calisson every day would keep the plague away. In the 19th century the first Calisson factories were created and by the beginning of the 20th century Aix was the world capital of the almond trade. Aix is home to about 20 manufacturers. Today they are gathered at the base of the Aix Union of Calisson Makers to maintain four centuries of Aixoise tradition. Two (2) suppliers stand out from namely: Léonard Pardi’s Confiserie who has been supplying Calissons since 1874 and Calissons du Roy René. Aix en Provence (Aquas Sextias, Ais en Provencou) is a city in southern France, some kilometers north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.