Francois Rabelais" satirical work, Gargantua and Pantagruel, is credited with introducing several new words to the French language. It"s also thought to be the first recorded mention of the macaron as a dessert, so we can be sure that it had made its way to France by the middle of the 16th Century. But it"s unlikely that the definite story of its origin will ever be known; as food historian Dr Annie Gray said: "There"s rarely a definitive answer, only ever a gradual development."