I have been posting and reading for a long time now, and I just realized that the cookies that you all rave about from Lauderee (sp?) in Paris are, in fact, not macaroons, but macarons. Apparently this is something different altogether. I wondered what all the fuss was about since a macaroon doesn't really excite me. Now, I just have to get back to Paris!

Hi suki,

It took me about twenty minutes to get my sister to go into Pierre Herme (also on rue Bonaparte) because she wasn't interested in macaroons.

Pierre Herme 1, Laduree 0. The latter is overrated, in my opinion.

If I didn't know better I'd swear a food fight is about to ensue!

That's funny because I love macaroons that I buy in the US with coconut, but don't like macarons in France. They are just bland and uninteresting to me.

It is the same word, however, macaron is just French for the same word, which is really Italian in origin. The difference is just recipes and customs as to what that means and how to bake a macaron/macaroon. I think the essence is a flourless cookie.

No, macaroons are those sticky, coconut things. Macarons are two flavored meringue discs with a filling in the middle and they are very sweet-maybe even sweeter than macaroons. Laduree's macarons are nice!

Not to encourage a food fight but having tried PH and Laduree just last week I vote for Laduree. IMHO, the flavors are clearer and it is easier to compare and contrast.

I have to put in another vote for Ladurée over Pierre Hermé, although both were great. I thought the flavors at Ladurée were more intense.

Pierre Hermé had some interesting flavors, though.

I used to write the word as macaroon but now know better and write macaron. Haven't tried Pierre Hermé but really want to.

My daughter called the macarons I brought back home from Paris hamburgers!

We've already argued about PH vs L in late May.

However, I think that PH's Rose flavor is better than L's Violet.

I can't understand "They are just bland and uninteresting ..". When I first tasted the flower flavors, my whole body tingled.

"You say macaron, I say macaroon....."

Either way, I say yum.....

I like them both so the only food fight you would get from me would be who gets the Last one!

I thought a French "maccaron" (sp???macarron???) was a lapel button -- a political button, for example.

But of course the French now call them "les pins" (pronounced like the English "pins&quot. And sometimes spelt, as in the fractured franglais I saw in France last week, as "les pin's"............

I vote Hermes.

And I say Laduree, yummy.

Well it's obviously the same root word as macaroni.

..retreating in haste...