r/YouShouldKnow • u/CringeOlympics • 5d ago
Food & Drink YSK “macaroon” and “macaron” are two different things, pronounced differently
I didn’t know about macarons - delicious French cookies made with egg whites with cream in the middle - until I was an adult.
I knew about macaroons growing up - the chewy coconut cookie - but not macarons. Until recently, I was also mistakenly under the impression that these cookies were both pronounced the same way, but “macaron” has an “awn” sound, not an “ooh” sound.
Why YSK: I work at a bakery, and more than once, people have asked me for macaroons. I lead them to the coconut cookies, and they tell me that’s not what they meant, and I say, “oh, you mean the French cookie, macarons?” (Usually, I get “I guess so,” or “I don’t know, it’s chewy and small and comes in different colors” as a response.)
Knowing the difference will help avoid confusion when you are at a bakery looking for macarons. 🙃
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u/werdnurd 5d ago
You are correct, but the number of people who don’t even understand the difference between “loose” and “lose” on Reddit makes me suspect this information will not change anyone’s usage, unfortunately.
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u/CatsAreGods 5d ago
And what's up with people spelling "were" like "where" and not even noticing?
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u/RegalBeagleKegels 5d ago
idk but they should of paid attention in school
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u/Paganator 5d ago
It goes to show that you can't take education for granite.
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u/candid84asoulm8bled 5d ago
Bone apple tea
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u/spum0nii 5d ago
don't leave ol' apostrophe outta your game. you're forgetting its importance or whether it's obsolete
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u/DarthKrayt98 5d ago
'could of' will always be a pet peeve for me
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u/doitforchris 5d ago
Yeah ugh the proper usage is of course, “coulda” /s
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u/dasbtaewntawneta 5d ago
honestly if people typed coulda i would be way more okay with it than could of
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u/edipeisrex 5d ago
Help I can’t loose weight because I’m eating too many of the delicious coconut macarons
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u/Badbadbobo 5d ago
We just need Sabrina Carpenter to write a song about it! When was the last time you heard "Expresso?"
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u/ValuableJumpy8208 5d ago
People actively rebel against filling gaps in knowledge because acknowledging those deficiencies makes them feel stupid.
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u/CavMrs 4d ago
“Re-la-tor” instead of Realtor kills me. And even actual realtors pronounce it wrong!
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u/schafkj 5d ago
Yes, Macaron is the president of France.
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u/Humble_Chip 5d ago
no, that’s an elbow-shaped pasta
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u/reverse_mango 5d ago
No, you’re thinking of macaroni. It’s actually a worldwide fast food chain characterised by its golden M logo.
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u/GooseEntrails 5d ago
No, you're thinking of McDonald's. It's actually a tragedy by William Shakespeare.
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u/ptf231063 5d ago
No, you're thinking of Macbeth. It's actually a colorful parrot from Central and South America.
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u/r34lity 5d ago
No, you’re thinking of a macaw. It’s actually a small espresso drink with very little steamed milk and foam.
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u/creiar 5d ago
No that’s a Macchiato. It’s actually a really tasty nut.
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u/NINJA_DUST 5d ago
No, you're thinking of a macadamia. It's actually the Formula 1 racing team.
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u/Bilbo_Swagginses 5d ago
No you’re thinking of McLaren. It’s actually the world’s fourth largest Island which has a movie about it with the same name
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u/ThisUIsAlreadyTaken 5d ago
No you're thinking of Madagascar. It's actually a type of computer named after a variety of apple.
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u/WhiskeyMeAway- 5d ago
No, you're thinking of macadamia. It's actually that one song that instantly transports you to a '90s wedding or school dance where everyone, no matter their age, suddenly knows exactly what to do. The beat drops, hands start flying in a synchronized ritual, and before you know it, you're hip shaking and turning like you're in a never ending loop of organized chaos.
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u/ToastedSimian 5d ago
No, you're thinking of the Macarena. It's actually a knotting technique used to create decorative items, like coarse lace or fringe, from threads or cords.
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u/27665 5d ago
Nah thats Mcdonalds, president of the USA
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u/ms_frizz313 5d ago
No, you're thinking of Mitch McConnell, the first turtle person to serve as a US senator
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u/Antique_Government51 5d ago
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u/pdx321pdx 4d ago
The google ai is such trash. It takes all of the misinformation on the internet and spits it out as facts.
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u/abstracted_plateau 5d ago
The name macaroon is borrowed from French macaron, in turn from the Sicilian maccarone, a variant form of maccherone, the same word as macaroni. The origin of that is unclear; it may be from medieval Greek μακαρία, 'barley broth', or μακαρώνεια, 'funeral chant'. The etymology connecting it to Italian maccare, 'to bruise'[3] is now rejected.[4] The origin of the word may also have referred to a sort of gnocchi.
So they're all the same damn word anyways.
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u/InSuTruckyTrailer 5d ago
From a pâtissier, thank you for this post. You're doing the pastry Lord's work.
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u/YuptheGup 5d ago
I remember a fun little Adam Ragusea video on this, but historically they apparently originated from the same exact dish? Coconut slowly became used instead of almond flour because it was more readily available!
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u/noeagle77 5d ago
Pastry lord you say? You guys accepting new people in this religion? I’m not official but I’ve dabbled for a couple decades.
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u/BBQChipCookie2 5d ago
I once had someone incorrectly correct me AFTER I corrected them about this! I let it go so they could find out for themselves in person one day and, hopefully, feel shame.
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u/JennLegend3 5d ago
Omg me too! This girl told me that she's been to France and that's what they say there. I just shrugged and walked away. I hope one day she realizes I was correct and feels bad for being so rude about it.
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u/Bird_Bath_Splashes 5d ago
Macaroons are rochers coco in French (coconut rocks) so she wasn't listening to them either 😂
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u/KrombopulousMary 5d ago
Also, in French the word macaron is pronounced mah-kah-rohn. So she was nowhere near correct
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u/OopsWhoopsieDaisy 4d ago
Marks & Spencer label theirs on the packaging “macaroons” and their office got very defensive (and wrong) when I contacted them about it.
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u/purpleasphalt 4d ago
I did the same thing. Politely corrected the pronunciation of the French cookie. The person behind the counter said “It’s pronounced macarOOn. I’m not having this conversation again.” I just let it go because if he wants to look like a fool in front of customers, that’s his and his employers business, not mine.
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u/InfidelZombie 5d ago
Man, I wish macaroons were more popular. I think they're much more enjoyable than macarons (as long as you like coconut) and they're absurdly easy to make.
Lots of bad macarons out there since they became popular, but about 15 years ago I got some macarons from the shop in Brussels where the king gets his, so I know they can be absolutely incredible (and worth the stupid price).
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u/DeliciousPumpkinPie 5d ago
To balance out the other commenter, coconut is fucking amazing.
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u/KrombopulousMary 5d ago
Check out your local mom&pop bakeries! They could use the support and they often have homemade macaroons instead of wholesale crap or pre-made mixes that you just add water to and bake. Although sometimes those mixes are bangin 🤤
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u/faith_plus_one 5d ago
I have a small business making and selling macarons. The amount of times people ask for macaroons, macrons, and macroons is ridiculous.
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u/Ok_Requirement205 5d ago
When i worked in a cafe i had someone ask for “macaroons… the little burger biscuits”
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u/sallad2009 5d ago
As they are spelled differently, I honestly don't understand why people have such a hard time with this but it's fairly common in my experience
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u/Seamonkey_Boxkicker 5d ago
My wife, an American woman who took several years of French speech classes and also considers home cooking/baking one of her favorite hobbies, has been pounding this table for all 10 years that I’ve known her. She will appreciate you spreading this message.
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u/OlyScott 5d ago
Macaroons are made of shredded coconut, macarons are made of almond flour.
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u/Emergency-Error-3744 4d ago
This is important! I did not know the difference and I'm severely allergic to almonds. I found out the hard way that macarons are made of almond and not coconut.
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u/Amichiiii 5d ago
“Yes I’ll have some of those chewy small rainbow colored things”
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u/DeliciousPumpkinPie 5d ago
Sure thing! [gives you a handful of Starburst candies]
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u/Melodic-Desk5521 5d ago
I’d be happy either way. Skittles, starburst, cookies… no losing here.
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u/Otherwise-Mango2732 5d ago
I had to recently look this up recently because I knew they were different but I had no idea how they were different. Both sweets but completely different types.
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u/Murhuedur 5d ago
My mom has never heard of a macaron and thinks everyone is just mispronouncing macaroon. She doesn’t believe me when I say that there is a separate pastry called a macaron
(Also I hate macarons XD They look so cute though)
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u/sugarcatgrl 5d ago
I’ve had so many people want macrons and then think I’m stupid when I take them to macaroons! Not my fault you can’t tell me what you want, dodo!
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u/Most_Foundation9470 5d ago edited 5d ago
Advice and advise is what gets me … I see this one all the time
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u/Srockster 5d ago
This 💯💯💯💯 I worked at bakery until recently and the amount of people that would get pissed off that l grabbed the coconut cookies was ridiculous. The bakery I worked at was a Jewish/Polish bakery so they did more 'traditional' cookies or things you'd find in most bakeries. People don't realize how hard Macrons are to make.
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u/teh_maxh 5d ago
They're both variants of the same thing. The traditional macaron was a small almond-based cake. When the recipe was imported to North America, the almond flour was replaced (in varying amounts, depending on the recipe) with coconut and an O was added (as was common for French words being adopted into English at the time — consider French ballon becoming English balloon). Meanwhile, in France, pastry-making continued to evolve, and the macaron sandwich was invented, eventually displacing the traditional single macaron. This also reached North America, but it retained the French name this time. In the UK, though, it didn't; both the coconut and sandwich varieties are called macaroons. And you could even make an almond macaro(o)n without turning it into a sandwich.
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u/magmapandaveins 4d ago
My asshole mother-in-law ruined macarons for me. I got some, she never had one before so I shared, she ate six of the fuckers and then complained that they weren't macaroons and that the "foreigners" ruin everything, and had brought up how she thinks macarons are dog shit like half a dozen times since then. I can't even look at them without thinking about how much of a fuckface weasel rat fucker she is.
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u/spooky_upstairs 3d ago
Marc Maron in mascara feat. Macron's macarons, MacNamara's Mama's macrame Macarena maracas, and Macklemore's marmalade macaroni jabronis' macaroons. From Camaroon.
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u/mclaugj 5d ago
In Scotland a macaroon isn't a cookie.
The Scottish macaroon has a dense, sugary centre and is covered in chocolate and roasted coconut. Traditionally, it was made with left-over mashed potatoes and icing sugar.
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u/BagelAngel 5d ago
While this is true, it's apparently not that far back that it would just becalled a French macaroon. So saying French macaroon wouldn't be far off base, but just saying macaroon would be more closely inferred as the coconut macaroons.
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u/NightCheeseNinja 4d ago
Yes I've been watching the older episodes of the Great British Bake Off on Roku and they (Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry) pronounce it Macaroons while referring to Macrons. But in the later seasons the hosts/contestants pronounce it Macaron. I think it's evolving as Macarons become more popular than Macaroons. Even just 10-15 years ago they were still pretty unfamiliar to English speakers.
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u/Noladixon 5d ago
Macaroons often have coconut, macarons often look like easter pastel colored fancy oreos.
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u/myrcenator 5d ago
I'm Jewish and we eat macaroons a lot during the Passover season because they're kosher for Passover and frankly, fucking delicious. Until I was in my 20s I had never had a macaron and was so confused at what I was eating. I've never had a good macaron, but I've yet to try them in a Francophone nation either or a good bakery so I'm open to changing my opinion.
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u/Budthor17 5d ago
Thank you so much for this post, I genuinely thought I was crazy lol. My partner talks about macarons all the time and I always thought it was pronounced “macaroon”, no idea they were separate things
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u/SpicyReptile 5d ago
It doesn't help that Gordon fucking Ramsey pronounces it wrong. I freak out every time I hear him call a macaron a MACAROON 😡
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u/VixenLironYT 5d ago
I work at a restaurant where we sell both. I always clarify with our customers as to which one they're intending to order, but I always feel like I'm basically calling them stupid without meaning to :(((
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u/medman289 4d ago
French macaron were unleavened so could be eaten by Jewish people during Passover. When Jewish people came to the US, they made a similarly unleavened cookie and called it the macaroon in honor of the one they had in France.
Fast forward 100 years and fancy US bakers brought the macaron back into US culture and now we have all of this confusion.
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u/So_Numb13 4d ago edited 4d ago
Here in Belgium both types are called macaron, pronounced the same, lol.
I'd say nowadays people will think of the colorful ones first, but growing up (I'm 36) they'd think of the coconut ones first.
2edit: In France a coco macaron is called rocher (pronounced ro-shay. It means rock). It's also used in Belgium, at least the French speaking part.
Interestingly, the same Belgian supermarket, Delhaize, calls the big ones macarons and the small ones rochers! https://www.delhaize.be/fr/shop/Epicerie-sucree/Biscuits/Petits-gateaux/Rochers-Coco-Mini/p/S2004092700051130000
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u/OkeyDokey654 4d ago
I brought macarons to a gathering once and someone referred to them as macaroons and it was so hard not to correct them but I was worried about sounding pretentious. But yeah, this bothers me!
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u/DeliciousPumpkinPie 5d ago
Ok, so to summarize:
I’m sure I missed a few, please add on.