The Thoothukudi Macroon
What Is a Macroon?
A crisp cashew meringue, a town that made it famous, and one bakery that has baked it on the same street since 1964.
A macroon is a light, crisp meringue sweet made from cashew nuts, egg white and sugar, baked slowly until the shell sets to a delicate crunch and the centre stays soft.
It is the sweet Thoothukudi is known for. The town, still widely called Tuticorin, sits on the Gulf of Mannar coast of Tamil Nadu, and its bakeries have been baking macroons for well over a century. Ask anyone in Tamil Nadu what Thoothukudi is famous for and you will hear two answers: the port, and the macroons.
You will see it written both ways: macroon and macaroon. Macroon is the local spelling, the one printed on the boxes and painted on the signboards along V.E Road, and it is the one we use. Macaroon is the dictionary spelling. For this sweet, they mean the same thing.
Not the same sweet
Macroon, Macaron or Macaroon?
Three different sweets, three different countries, one confusing name. Here is how to tell them apart.
| Thoothukudi macroon | French macaron | Coconut macaroon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main ingredient | Cashew nuts | Almond flour | Shredded coconut |
| Texture | Crisp, hollow, dissolves | Soft shell, chewy centre | Dense and chewy |
| Filling | None | Ganache or buttercream | None |
| Colour | Pale cream | Brightly coloured | Golden brown |
| Origin | Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu | France | Italy, via Europe |
If it is filled, coloured and sandwiched, it is a macaron. If it is coconut, it is a macaroon. If it shatters when you bite it and tastes of cashew, it is a Thoothukudi macroon.
How it is baked
Four Ingredients, No Shortcuts
A macroon is simple enough to list in one line and difficult enough that a town built a reputation on getting it right.
Cashew and egg white
No flour, no butter, no coconut and no colouring. Four ingredients, and two of them are cashew and egg white.
A slow, low bake
A meringue baked hot cracks and browns. Macroons are dried more than they are baked, which is what leaves the shell pale and hollow-light.
Packed after you order
Sealed once your order arrives, not months ahead, so the 21-day shelf life starts with you, not in a warehouse.
Because macroons are built on egg white, they are declared non-vegetarian under India’s FSSAI labelling rules: the red mark you will see on our packs. They contain cashew nuts and egg, which matters if you are ordering for someone with a nut allergy.
From our ovens
Buy Authentic Macroons Online
Baked on V.E Road, vacuum-sealed after you order, delivered across India.
Good to know
Macroon Questions, Answered
What is a macroon?
A macroon is a light, crisp meringue sweet made from cashew nuts, egg white and sugar, baked slowly until the outside sets to a delicate crunch and the inside stays soft. It is the signature sweet of Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu, where bakeries have been perfecting it for generations. Ganesh Bakery has baked macroons at Shop No. 533, V.E Road since 1964.
What is the difference between a macroon and a macaron?
They are three different sweets that share a name. The French macaron is a smooth, brightly coloured sandwich of almond-flour shells with a ganache or buttercream filling. The coconut macaroon is a dense, chewy mound of shredded coconut. The Thoothukudi macroon is neither. It is a crisp, hollow-light cashew meringue with no filling and no coconut, and its texture is its whole point: it shatters on the first bite and dissolves.
Why is it spelled macroon and not macaroon?
Macroon is the local spelling, and the one Thoothukudi's bakeries have used on their boxes and signboards for decades. Macaroon is the dictionary spelling of the coconut sweet. Both spellings are used for the Thoothukudi sweet in everyday writing, and they mean the same thing here.
What are macroons made of?
Four things: whole cashew nuts, fresh egg white, sugar and time. There is no flour, no butter and no colouring in a traditional Thoothukudi macroon. Because they are built on egg white, macroons are declared non-vegetarian under India's FSSAI food labelling rules.
Where can I buy authentic Thoothukudi macroons online?
From a bakery in Thoothukudi that actually bakes them. Ganesh Bakery ships its macroons across India from its shop on V.E Road, vacuum-sealed and packed after your order is placed. We have one shop and no branches, and we have never franchised our name.
How long do macroons stay fresh?
Our macroons stay fresh for 21 days from baking. They are packed only after an order arrives, so the shelf life you get is the full one rather than whatever is left of it. Keep them sealed and dry: humidity is what takes the crispness out of a meringue.
How much do macroons cost?
Ganesh Bakery macroons are sold by weight, in 250g and 500g packs, with current prices listed on the product page. Bulk pricing for weddings, festivals and corporate gifting is available from 50 boxes upward.
More on delivery, payments and tracking on our FAQ page, or talk to the shop.