>> I just heard a tale that January 2 is the feast day of St. Macarius
>> who was a 4th century merchant specializiing in sweets, candies and
>> macaroons before he became a monk, and his nickname is 'St. Macaroon'
> Well, your saint did exist -- he is Saint Macarius of Alexandria or
> Macarius the Younger, to distinguish him from another, older contemporary
> of the same name. But he has nothing to do with the name of the macaroon.
> From the online version of the old <Catholic Encyclopedia>: [...]

> Macarius the Alexandrian [...]
> died about 405. He was a younger contemporary of Macarius the
> Egyptian, but there is no reason for confounding or identifying him
> with his older namesake. More than any of the hermits of the time he
> exemplified the spirit of emulation characteristic of this stage of
> monasticism. He would be excelled by none in his austerities. [...]
> Once, in expiation of a fault, he lay for six months in a morass,
> exposed to the attacks of the African gnats, whose sting can pierce
> even the hide of a wild boar. When he returned to his companions he
> was so much disfigured that he could be recognized only by his voice.

The encyclopaedia has understated this. Robert Chambers' _Book of
Days_, quoting Butler's _Lives of the Saints_, says that the fault
he was expiating was that he'd swatted a gnat that bit him.

W.E.H. Lecky's _History of European Morals_ has a splendidly sarcastic
chapter on early Christian ascetic loonies. John Tavener has written
an opera about one of them (Mary of Egypt) and genuinely seems to
believe they were a Good Thing, but then he would, wouldn't he.


> But he has nothing to do with the name of the macaroon.

I don't see anything in what you quote to decide it either way. The
almond/sugar/egg cake has no obvious link to any pasta-like dish, so
why not an independent etymology? Somebody celebrating the feast of
St Macarius by a dish related to his early occupation could easily
have got the name and the food associated.

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