A delicious story - part 1

Éclairs, Saint-Honoré, Opéra, Paris-Brest, Macarons - it is such a struggle walking by such beautiful pâtisseries. Being someone who really doesn't like sweet things, I'm surprised at my level of interest. But over here a window full of delicious masterpieces, is hard to resist. So is the history of pâtisserie in France, which starts its mouth-watering journey back in the Middle Ages, although not in the form that we know these days. 

oublie

Gâteaux were extremely rare in the Middle Ages, with bakers limiting their production to large-scale celebrations. This all changed around 1270, due to growing demand and the decision by the then guild known as the oublayers (precursor to the guild of pâtissiers), to develop gâteaux from a light, but yeast-free dough. The oublayers had until then produced an oublie which was a wafer made out of grain flour and water, with other local flavourings such as honey being added. They were similar to communion wafers. More exotic ingredients from the Crusade such as orange-flower were also used. Oublies themselves weren't formally given that name until around 1200. We come full circle when the guild of oublayers was formed in 1270, who then proceed to create light pastries.

Over the next couple of centuries, tarts using milk, eggs and cream were developed. By the 1500s beautiful pâtisseries were very much part of the French court's culinary scene. Catherine de Médicis married Henry ll in 1533 and brought her chefs and confectioners to France. The French court was then introduced to ice cream, madeleines (sponge cakes), les biscuits à la cuiller/sponge fingers and choux pastry, invented in 1540 by the Italian pâtissier Popelini, who came to France to join the Médicis entourage.

The 17th century saw a considerable variety of biscuits being produced. Some were flavoured and others filled with jams or fruit. Puff pastry first appeared as well as coffee and chocolate, which had been imported to France by Anne of Austria, who was married to King Louis Xlll. It was during this period that cakes and pastries acquired real status,
establishing the first of the really great chefs and pâtissiers in their own right. Amongst them were François Pierre de La Varenne who created the millefeuille and François Vatel who is credited with the creation of Chantilly Cream. 

petits-fours

By the turn of the 18th century François Massialot had become the most well-known of chefs through his innovative approach to pastry cream and the crème brulée. He also produced five cookery books, albeit anonmously. Another great invention was organic yeast and yeast based puff pastry dough. It is the pâtisserie that became the focus of development throughout the 18th century, with the appearance of Rhum Babas, dragées,meringues, and petits fours, all of which could be found in abundance at the enormous buffets prepared for the court at Versailles. At the same time other regions were creating their individual culinary styles, through the use of corn, flour and walnut oil in the South West, almonds in the South East and spices in Haute-Provence.

After the revolution, many cooks found themselves without their master chefs who had fallen victim to events, either by being beheaded or exiled to England. So they opened their own restaurants and as a result there was an explosion of culinary creation. In 1806 in response to the European blocade imposed by Napoleon, the British navy prohibited the importing of sugar to France, from the Caribbean.  The need to find an alternative lead to the discovery of sugar beet, and ultimately the development of patisserie that we recognise and so appreciate today.

savarin

The 19th century saw the development of the biscuit business, but also the technical advances which introduced the whisk, pastry bag and egg beaters and enabled the  pâtissiers as craftsmen to become established. This century belongs particularly to Antonin Carême, a chef and pâtissier of extraordinary renown, whose clientele were amongst the highest at home and abroad. His book, Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien, is still used as reference today supplying for the first time, the exact details and quantities of the ingredients. There were others of course at this time who were also producing delicious concoctions. The brothers Julien and the savarin -  a baba without dried raisins. The Vacherin, saint-honoré, profiteroles, éclairs, fondant, the Yule log all date from this period. It was clearly a prolific time.