As children, every Diwali, my brother and I would chase each other up the creaky stairway that led to my maternal grandmother’s house. While our grandfather would give us a bag of crackers and a crisp white envelope filled with green notes, my grandmother would pop a piece of badam pak (almond Indian sweet) into our mouths.

If you love the taste of almond, then these colourful marzipans are worth a try. Pics/Satyajit Desai

I vividly remember the taste of the crushed almonds, flavoured with powdered sugar and elaichi, and believed that sweets of crushed almond paste are India’s best-kept secret. But that was only until last week before visiting Nordic Kandie Magic store at Peddar Road. On a Wednesday afternoon, I walk through a dark blue door and a small snow white room introduces me to marzipans from Estonia, Scandinavia.

The store manager, as he adeptly takes me through the history of marzipan, is quick to point out that the ones we have during Christmas are usually made of cashew nuts, which India has in abundance. Invented by a chemist’s young assistant when his boss fell ill in the 15th century, the young pharmacist named Mart was assigned the job to make a medicine for an ill nobleman. Back then, medicine men had to consume the contents before the patient. Mart hated the bitter taste and added almonds and sugar to it. And that was the beginning of marzipans.