Calisson
Calissons are a traditional French candy consisting of a smooth, pale yellow, homogeneous paste of candied fruit and ground almonds topped with a thin layer of royal icing. They have a texture similar to that of marzipan, but with a fruitier, distinctly melon-like flavour. They are often almond-shaped and are typically about five centimeters in length.
Calissons are traditionally associated with the town of Aix-en-Provence, France, and most of the world's supply is still made in the Provence region.
History
The calisson is believed to have its origins in south of France. Its most probable etymology, established by the sociolinguist specializing in Provençal Philippe Blanchet in 1998, is that the Provençal word calissoun is formed from "chalice" and from the diminutive "-oun", meaning "small chalice". Small in size and small in sacred value. The word "chalice", in fact, in Provençal as in French, first designated the sacred cup of the Eucharist, and by extension communion itself. Now communion is wine and the host, distributed in a cup. And the calisson is, ritually, a kind of host.A popular legend traces the introduction of calissons to Provence around the mid-15th century at the second wedding of King René of Anjou. Others suggest that it was not introduced in its modern form until the 16th century, as this was when almonds became an established crop in Aix-en-Provence.