Winter Palace Marzipan Rooibos Tea

So what exactly does artisans that blends South African Rooibos with Moroccan almonds and marzipan have to do with an 18th century Russian palace?Great question. It's a long and convoluted tale. St Petersburg's Winter Palace was commissioned by Catherine the Great and built between 1754 and 1762. As it goes, the architect that was charged with designing the opulent structure, with its 1,786 doors and 1,945 Windows, was an Italian named Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Rastrelli, knowing nothing of Russia or Catherine the Great, naturally wanted to bring the comforts of home with him to his new city. For the architect this included the speed taste of Marzipan, or in Italian Marzipane, made famous by the artisans of Palermo who molded the confection to resemble fresh fruit. In particular, he loved a special version made with Moroccan almonds, imported to Siviy via Tunisia, In his Rastrelli his patron, Catherine. The Great, was also a lover of Marzipan. However,owing to her the Germanic versions of the sweet treat she craved. Unbeknownst to Rastrellim, Catherine the Great was also a lover of the men-folk. One day while casually enjoying a papaya shaped piece of Marzipan after lunch, Catherine spotted him in the hall. It was love at first. Sight. Rastrelli offered her some of his dessert, Catherine acquiesced and offered him … Well … We can't go there. In the end, the Winter Palace was completed a little behind schedule perhaps, but at least the architect had a smile on his face. As in the immortal words of Jack Palance: 'Believe it or not'.