Why Marzipan Might Hold Up Your Flight at the Airport

Marzipan, a well-known candy that's quite popular despite its high sugar content, has recently been causing chaos at Ben Gurion Airport and creating delays in flights worldwide—not because someone was eating it, but due to its unexpected properties. Essentially made from almond paste and sugar, marzipan's density can confuse scanners into suspecting it as an explosive.

Travelers landing in Israel from countries like Austria and Germany have shared their experiences of bringing marzipan boxes into the country, only to be held up by security at Ben Gurion Airport under suspicion of carrying explosives. It was only after thorough inspections that it was revealed they only had marzipan.

The similarity in the density of marzipan to explosive materials triggers the alarms in airport security systems. This occurs because X-ray scanners rely on density differences to identify explosives, and marzipan possesses similar properties to ticking bombs.

So what should tourists or travelers who wish to bring marzipan into or out of the country do? Firstly, pack marzipan in hand luggage, where security officers can manually check it. Secondly, if you're flying abroad and worry about being detained, opt for commercially packaged marzipan (kosher, of course).