“Called mogado in Izmir, masapan in Istanbul, and marzipan elsewhere, we serve our family and friends this treat when we visit each other to say hag sameah/bonne fête on Passover and Rosh Hashanah, as well as for weddings and britei mila.”

— Matilda Levi Habif
Izmir, Turkey

Ingredients

  • 1 kg fine ground almonds
  • 4 cups (or ½ cup less than 1 kg) white sugar
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 5–6 cups water

Instructions

  1. In a stock pot, bring water to a boil and mix in the sugar.
  2. Once the mixture is well-boiled, add the ground almonds and keep mixing. If you place a spoon through the middle of the mixture and it keeps its form, then you’re ready for the next step.
  3. Add the lemon juice, mix it in for two minutes, and quickly remove from heat, letting it cool down.
  4. Once it’s lukewarm, mix it up in the blender.
  5. Shape the mogado while it’s still warm, and let it cool down and firm up.