Delicacies

Under the name “Maria” sweets and biscuits are available. The sweets are Our Lady's meringues, also called Maria sweets, Our Ladies and little Our Ladies. The meringue is shaped like Maria and is a soft sweet. Other characteristics include a light fruit flavour and pastel colour. The flavours are varied, such as anise, raspberry, orange and vanilla. Manufacturers make the sweets with flavourings, dextrose, gelatine, glucose, sugar and colourings. Sweets that are gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians are also commercially available.
In French, the marshmallow is called “guimauve”. The word “guimauve” refers to a soft sweet and a soft chewy sweet.

Maria biscuits are wheat biscuits and often have a round shape, mild sweetness, a decorative edge, and the word Maria embossed on the top. The Maria biscuit is also called a Marietje and Mariakaakje. The biscuit is crispy and lightly sweet. Maria biscuits are often made from flavouring, egg white, palm oil or sunflower oil, wheat flour, and raising agents. It is a classic biscuit to have with coffee or tea.

Maria-biscuit is a variation of the Marie biscuit. It was first made in 1875 by the bakery company Peek, Frean & Co. Ltd. in London. This was done to commemorate the marriage in 1874 of Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1853-1920), Grand Duchess of Russia, and Alfred Ernest Albert (1844-1900), Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1893-1900). The name Maria-biscuit is therefore derived from the first name of the Russian Grand Duchess.

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