History of sweets. What is a dessert? Types of desserts

Plan

Ice cream

Marzipan

Oriental sweets

Tiramisu

Birthday cake

The history of the origin of cakes

Interesting facts about desserts

The right dessert recipes

Variety of dessert recipes

Features of the dessert table and dessert recipes from different countries

How to choose the right dessert recipes?

Dessert recipes

Conclusion

List of information sources

Dessert

Deshay ́ rt (from French desservir - "clear the table") - the final dish of the table, to get a pleasant taste sensation at the end of lunch or dinner, usually sweet delicacies.

As a rule, it is sweet (for example, cake or ice cream), but there are also unsweetened desserts made from fruits, nuts, cheeses, unsweetened confectionery. In addition, not all sweet dishes are desserts, for example, in Chinese cuisine there are sweet meat dishes that are not desserts. In China, there are also sweets with pepper and ginger instead of sugar. Native Americans, before the arrival of Europeans, made chocolate with pepper and spices instead of sugar. Even in Russian cuisine there are unsweetened desserts - for example, black caviar. Cheese is considered a classic French dessert.

As a dessert, confectionery products can be served: cakes, cookies, waffles, muffins, pies; various types of sweets, marshmallows, whipped cream dishes; sweet fruit and berry mixtures (the so-called fruit salads); juices, soda waters, compotes, kissels; sweet milk, chocolate and fruit and berry mousses, creams, jellies; ice cream and ice cream desserts; dessert can be tea, cocoa, coffee, coffee with ice cream (caf é glac é); special dessert wines - in a word, everything that can be served for the "third".

By serving temperature, desserts are divided into hot and cold. Desserts are usually served in special dessert plates. Desserts are usually eaten with a dessert spoon - intermediate in size between a soup spoon and a teaspoon. The dessert table is also served with a dessert knife and a dessert fork.

Story

When we hear the word "dessert", we imagine something very appetizing and sweet. In fact, dessert is a broader concept, coming from the old French desservir (to clear the table). Dessert can be anything served after the main course: cheese, fruits, berries, nuts, juices. True, it is not clear whether chewing gum is considered a dessert. Traditionally, desserts include cakes, pies, pastries, cookies, sweets, ice cream, marshmallow, jam, chocolate, liqueurs and many sweets of Eastern and European national cuisines.

The custom of ending the meal with dessert did not appear in Europe until the 19th century, along with the rise of sugar production. Before that, sweets were the privilege of the rich and appeared on the table of commoners only on holidays. Hence the custom to pay great attention to the decoration of desserts, because a festive dish should look impressive.

Sweet fruits and honey were the first popular desserts. A lot of sweet dishes have appeared on the basis of natural sweeteners, which were later replaced by sugar. Those sweets that we have today are far from the original dishes in terms of taste, nutritional value and vitamin content. Most of today's desserts are rich sources of glucose. They successfully fight hunger, give strength, stimulate the brain and improve mood. However, you should not spoil yourself with sweets every day, especially if your lifestyle cannot be called active.

Ice cream

dessert chocolate cake recipe

Only the desire of people for a miracle can explain the appearance of ice cream about 4,000 years ago in hot Mesopotamia, where noble people had "ice houses" to store ice. Ice was delivered to the table of the Egyptian pharaohs along the Nile. It is known that in the 5th c. BC. in Athens they sold snow balls with honey and berries. For Nero, they collected snow from the tops of the mountains and prepared fruit ice with honey and nuts. In the 4th c. BC. the Persians were able to build structures where ice collected in winter or brought from mountain peaks was stored all summer. It was in Persia that the prototype of modern ice cream appeared - a dish of frozen rose water, saffron, fruit and thin strips of dough resembling vermicelli.

The ice cream maker was invented in China long before the advent of refrigerators. The ingredients were placed in a large container with a mixture of ice and saltpeter. In France, instead of saltpeter, they began to use salt. The principle of operation of the first "ice creamers" is simple - since salt water freezes at a temperature below zero, mixing a large amount of ice with salt helps to cool the sweet mixture to zero temperature, which is quite enough for ice cream. The first ice cream recipe was published in an English cookbook in 1718. In the middle of the 19th century. ice cream in England became available to everyone, as a large amount of ice was transported from Norway. In Rus', the favorite dish in the heat was planed milk frozen in the cellar.

Thanks to ice cream, the drink cream soda (short for ice cream soda) appeared. Ice cream was the only thing permitted on Sundays in 19th-century Puritan America, when alcoholic and soft drinks were banned. The conical ice cream waffle cone appeared in America in 1904. According to legend, the ice cream seller ran out of cardboard plates at the fair. A Syrian waffle vendor who worked nearby and was suffering from a lack of customers offered to cooperate and sell ice cream in rolled waffles.

In the 1950s, it was discovered that it was possible to double the amount of air in ice cream and thus reduce the amount of milk in each serving. Around the same time, industrial and affordable home refrigerators appeared, making ice cream a cheap treat. Today, the United States is considered the leader in eating ice cream, where each person has 23 liters of ice cream per year.

Cold desserts are not limited to milk ice cream. In the East, cold drinks are popular: sweet sherbet (made from low-fat milk, juice and sweet fruits) and sorbet (fruit puree without dairy products). In Italian cuisine, there is a dessert made from low-fat milk and eggs (gelato) and a sweet cream made from full-fat milk and yolks. A Malaysian dish called ice kasang is made with syrup, ice, red beans and condensed milk.

Chocolate

The history of sweets began at least 4,000 years ago with Egyptian desserts described in extant papyri. It is established that candied fruits were sold in the markets in 1566 BC. The world learned about chocolate when the ancient Mayan and Aztec tribes discovered the wonderful properties of cocoa. Appearing in the Amazon or Orinoco valleys, chocolate remained unknown in the Old World for a long time.

In 600 BC The Maya migrated to the northern part of South America and set up the first cocoa plantations in the territory of modern Yucatan. There is a version that the Maya were familiar with cocoa for several centuries before, using wild cocoa beans for billing and as a cash equivalent. It is not known who exactly invented the first chocolate. Both the Maya and the Aztecs made xocoatl from cocoa beans. According to the Aztec legend, cocoa seeds came to earth from paradise, so it gives strength and wisdom to everyone who eats its fruits.

The Aztecs believed that the god Quetzalcoatl, who arrived on earth on a ray of the morning star, brought a cocoa tree as a gift to people and taught them to fry and grind its fruits and prepare a nutritious paste from which you can make a drink chocolatl (bitter water). To change the taste of a bitter drink, the Aztecs added pepper and other spices to it. The modern word "chocolate" is thus derived from the May word "xocoatl" (cocoa) and the Aztec word "chocolatl". In the language of modern Mexican Indians, the word "chocolatl" has been preserved, denoting foam with water.

For centuries, chocolate has existed only in liquid form. This drink was part of magical rituals and marriage ceremonies. Some ancient Mexican tribes believed that chocolate was patronized by the goddess of food, Tonacatecuhtli, and the goddess of water, Calciutluk. Every year they made human sacrifices to the goddesses, feeding the victim cocoa before they died.

The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who classified plants, changed the ancient name of cocoa to "theobroma", which translates from Greek as "food of the gods". It is believed that Columbus was the first to bring cocoa to Europe. From his fourth trip to the New World, he brought cocoa beans as a gift to King Ferdinand, but against the background of other treasures, "food of the gods" was not given due importance.

The first European to try the original chocolate was Cortez, who visited Emperor Montezuma in Mexico. Montezuma drank nothing but iced chocolate with vanilla and other spices. Montezuma's custom of drinking a cup of chocolate before entering his harem led European doctors to believe that chocolate was a powerful aphrodisiac. In 1528, Cortez presented cocoa beans to King Charles V. It so happened that the Spanish monks began to make chocolate according to an Indian recipe and kept it a secret for almost 100 years. When chocolate became known outside the walls of the monasteries, Spain began to grow cocoa trees in its many colonies and made huge profits from the sale of chocolate.

Italian traveler Antonio Carletti brought cocoa beans to Italy in 1606. In 1615, Princess Maria Teresa of Spain gave chocolate to her fiancé, Louis XIV. When Spain lost its power and monopoly on chocolate, it began to be made throughout Europe - in France, Italy, Germany and England.

The first café serving chocolate was opened in London in 1657. Chocolate was the drink of the rich and cost up to 15 shillings a pound. Like the Maya, the fruit of the cocoa tree has become a currency in some countries. In Nicaragua, you could buy a rabbit for 10 cocoa beans and a good slave for 100. Leading doctors of the 17th and 18th centuries. prescribed chocolate to their wealthy patients as a tonic and a cure for many diseases. Chocolate was commonly prescribed to children and men, adding milk, wine, spices, and even beer to the drink.

In 1674, soft chocolate appeared in the form of bars and rolls. The first chocolate bar was made by Fry & Sons under the brand name Chocolat Delicieux a Manger. The first milk chocolate appeared in Switzerland, after which the Swiss company Nestle gained popularity. In 1879, Rudolf Lindt from Bern produced chocolate that melted in your mouth. He invented conching - a method of slowly heating chocolate - and began to add more cocoa butter to his products. The first chocolate with filling appeared in 1913.

In the middle of the 18th century chocolate became cheaper and more accessible to all segments of the population due to the expansion of plantations and the mechanization of production. The invention of the cocoa butter press in 1828 improved the quality of chocolate and made it even more affordable. During the Industrial Revolution, the industrial production of chocolate began. In 1765 chocolate appeared in North America.

Isaac Disraeli wrote about chocolate: "The Spaniards brought chocolate from Mexico, where it was a coarse mixture of ground cocoa beans, Indian corn and spices. The Spaniards liked the nutritional value of chocolate and improved the drink with sugar and flavorings."

According to Nestle, chocolate owes its popularity to four events: the discovery of cocoa powder in 1828, the reduction in excise taxes, the improvement of transportation, and the invention of solid chocolate. Arthur Knapp, researcher of the history of chocolate, notes the special importance of the invention of the press for pressing cocoa beans.

In the 19th century, Venezuela was the leader in the production of cocoa beans, now half of the cocoa is grown in Brazil and Cote d Ivoire. The United States is now considered the leader in the production of chocolate; In terms of chocolate consumption per capita, Switzerland ranks first. Around the world, 600,000 tons of chocolate are eaten every year. Chocolate production is one of the most profitable branches of the food industry.

In 1980, the world was shocked by the history of industrial espionage. An apprentice from the Swiss company Suchard-Tobler unsuccessfully tried to sell the chocolate recipe to manufacturers from Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Chocolate is one of the few products that has survived the transformation from the bitter drink of the Indians to the refined dessert of the nobility and the product of mass consumption, produced in the widest range. In addition to taste and commercial value, chocolate has the ability to cheer up and give strength.

Marzipan

The name of this ancient dessert is translated from German as "March bread". Basically, marzipan is a mixture of grated almonds and powdered sugar. Other nuts are not suitable for this dessert. The oils contained in almonds allow complex shapes to be formed from the sweet nut mass without the use of gluing additives. Marzipan figurines can be painted and glazed.

Marzipan is traditionally considered an aristocratic sweet and a sign of good taste. There are several museums in Europe dedicated to this dessert. Marzipan is not just tasty figures, but also a source of vitamin E, which is good for the nervous system and skin. The daily requirement of vitamin E is found in only 20 almonds.

According to legend, the Italians invented marzipan in the 10th century, when there was a crop failure for all cereals, and they had to replace flour with almonds, which, oddly enough, gave a good harvest. The French claim that they invented marzipan, while the Sicilians insist that they first learned about marzipan from the Saracens. In Spain, marzipan was made back in the 8th century, adding pine nuts, lemon zest and fruits to it. In Holland, marzipan is made with egg white, lemon juice and liqueur. In Germany, marzipan is associated with Christmas. German confectioners know about 200 marzipan recipes.

Oriental sweets

You will not surprise a modern person with sweets, but in ancient times, when sugar was a rarity, oriental sweets were equal in price to gold. The Arabs attributed magical powers to sweets. Oriental dishes owe their sweetness mainly to honey and juices of sweet fruits that do not grow in the middle lane. Candied fruits, spices and caramel are the hallmark of oriental desserts.

Turkish delight (translated from Turkic - light pieces) was made from fruits, rose water, honey, crushed almonds and starch. Its history spans several millennia.

Marmalade is a late European variety of Turkish Delight where there is less sweetness and more fruit. The name of marmalade comes from the Portuguese word "quince", as the first marmalade in Europe was brewed from quince juice. In England, orange jam is called marmalade.

Zephyr is an ancient oriental delicacy made from sugar and egg white. The French called this recipe meringue, and the dish with the addition of fruit puree began to be called marshmallow.

Baklava (baklava) is made from puff pastry, which is rolled into the thinnest layers, smeared with nut-honey mass, baked and soaked in syrup.

Halva appeared in the 5th century. BC. on the territory of Iran. The original halva was made from sugar, nuts and soap root. Such halva was airy and melting in the mouth. A variety of halva is koskhalva made from egg whites, molasses, poppy seeds, raisins or nuts.

Nuga was considered the delight of the padishahs. It was made from sugar syrup with egg whites, candied fruits and nuts and flavored with vanilla and lemon zest.

Sherbet is a cold dessert. It can be liquid and thick, like ice cream. Sherbet is made from the juices of various fruits, so it not only cools, but also saturates the body with vitamins and minerals needed in the heat.

Paste

Pastila is very similar to oriental sweetness (Turkish delight), but is considered a Russian national delicacy. Pastila has been known since the 14th century. It is possible that the method of its preparation was borrowed from the East, but the main ingredient of the marshmallow was Russian Antonov apples or sour wild apples. The most famous Russian marshmallow was Belevskaya, the recipe of which was invented by the merchant Prokhorov, who loved baked apples. Later, recipes for marshmallows from raspberries, lingonberries, mountain ash, currants appeared, but these berries contain little pectin and do not form such a dense mass as apples. Berry marshmallow was more often used as an addition to apple marshmallow in the preparation of puff pastilles.

In the 15th century, protein was added to marshmallow to give it a white color. Pastila with protein was more resilient and firm. The secret of the Kolomna white marshmallow was kept secret until in the 19th century the French, who knew about the properties of protein, surpassed the Kolomna confectioners by adding not just proteins, but whipped proteins to the apple-fruit puree. The result was an even more elastic mass, called the French marshmallow.

At first, marshmallows were made from honey, and only from the 19th century did sugar begin to be used. Due to the crystallization of sugar, the marshmallow became strong and retained its shape. Sugar apple marshmallow has won recognition all over the world. It was produced in dozens of varieties and exported to Europe. In Paris, London and other European capitals there were shops selling Russian sweets. Pastila was no longer cooked at home when Russian stoves disappeared. Marshmallow requires decreasing heat for 2 days, which is now possible only in factory conditions. Unfortunately, it is also unprofitable for factories to produce marshmallows due to the large time costs.

Tiramisu is the most famous Italian dessert. Its name translates as "pull me up", which reflects the high spirits during and after serving this dessert. For the first time, tiramisu was prepared for the Tuscan Archduke. Then this airy sweetness was called "Duke's soup". The modern name for the dessert was given by the Venetian courtesans, who noted its ability to cheer up.

Real tiramisu can only be tasted on the Apennine Peninsula, because only there they make delicate creamy mascarpone cheese - the main ingredient in tiramisu. Other elements of true tiramisu are savoiardi biscuits and Marsala wine.

A simplified version of the Italian dessert is called tiramisu in Russian. Italian ingredients can be replaced with sour cream, biscuit and cognac or liquor. It does not need to be baked, it is enough to cool it in the refrigerator.

Birthday cake

The first known cake for special occasions is considered to be the wedding cake. Even the ancient Romans ended the wedding ceremony by breaking a thin wheat cake cooked with wine over the bride's head, which symbolized good luck and a quick addition to the family. The same ancient tradition exists among the Brahmins and many European nations.

In medieval England, guests brought homemade cakes to a wedding, built a tower out of them (very similar to modern multi-tiered wedding cakes), and the newlyweds kissed on top of this tower. By the way, the custom of crowning the wedding cake with figurines of the newlyweds comes from this kiss. This cute custom was gradually forgotten when one confectioner came up with the idea of ​​​​filling all the pies brought by the guests with icing, forming a single cake.

In France, a wedding cake was made from small round cakes stuffed with cream and doused with caramel. Hardening, the caramel kept the shape of even a very large structure. Each guest was served a few balls, breaking them off from the pie. Another type of French birthday cake is a puff cake made from thinning layers. Such a cake was the highlight of the program and was served at the end of the holiday.

In Japan, newlyweds who do not have the funds for an expensive wedding cake used a dummy. It could even be "cut" by inserting a knife into the slots. In India, sometimes they use a "blank cake", which is covered with icing. Guests are treated to pieces of glaze and fruit. In Rus', weddings did not take place without a round loaf, symbolizing the sun. The cutting of the wedding cake by the newlyweds had a sacred meaning among many peoples. Today, the wedding cake plays only the role of table decoration or serves as a couple's self-expression.

Gingerbread

Another symbol of the holiday is a gingerbread baked from dough with the addition of spices (hence the name), jam, honey, nuts and raisins. Gingerbread appeared during the Neolithic, when our ancestors learned how to bake bread and experimented with various flavors. The most ancient gingerbread is honey. Cakes baked with honey were known to the Egyptians and Greeks. The Germans improved the ancient recipe and still bake honey gingerbread for Christmas.

In Rus', the first gingerbread was also honey. The first mention of "honey bread" refers to the 9th century. The first Russian gingerbread about half consisted of honey. They were baked from rye flour with the addition of berries, fragrant herbs and roots. They acquired their modern name in the 13th century, when spices from India became available. Traditionally, black pepper, orange (bitter orange), mint, anise, ginger, cloves and nutmeg were added to the gingerbread. Each locality had its own recipes for gingerbread. The most famous have always been Tula and Korensky (from the Root Desert) gingerbread.

The most ancient way of making gingerbread was hand molding. Later, cut-out gingerbread baked in molds appeared, and printed ones, on which a pattern was applied using a board. In Pomorye they make kozuli - richly decorated and painted fancy-shaped gingerbread.

The history of the origin of cakes

Cake holiday head! So, paraphrasing a well-known expression, we can briefly characterize our attitude to the cake. After all, if you think about it, then really, what celebration or anniversary is complete without this culinary masterpiece? What kid can imagine their birthday without blowing out the candles on the cake? Fortunately, today's confectioners offer cakes for every taste and color, and for the originals there is an opportunity to order a sweet surprise with the image of the birthday man himself.

Today it is impossible to say with certainty where and who invented the cake. Some culinary historians tend to conclude that the first prototype of the cake originated in Italy. Linguists believe that the word cake itself, translated from Italian, means something ornate and intricate, and associate it with numerous cake decorations from a scattering of various colors, inscriptions and ornaments.

Others adhere to a different theory of the origin of cakes. Everyone knows the most delicious sweets of the East, which can make even a sophisticated gourmet bow before their exquisite taste and enchanting aroma. The followers of this idea found out that the ancient culinary specialists of the most mysterious part of the world prepared desserts using milk, honey and sesame seeds. Yes, and in shape they resembled those cakes that we used to see on our tables.

Whatever the opinion about the origin of the first cakes, one cannot but agree with the statement that France is the trendsetter in the world of dessert. It was there, in small coffee shops and cafes, that once appeared, the cake conquered the whole world. It was French chefs and confectioners who for many centuries dictated the trends in serving and decorating this sweet masterpiece. It is not surprising that in this country of love and romance, the most famous names of desserts appeared that still caress our ears: meringue, cream, caramel, jelly and biscuit.

Nevertheless, regardless of who invented the cake, each country has its own traditions and recipes for baking this dish. Cakes are prepared on special occasions, and each of them differs in form and content. A lot of curiosities and interesting facts are connected with cakes. Some of them were even recorded and included in the Guinness Book of Records.

For example, the highest cake was made in the United States of America, Michigan. It towered over the table by more than thirty meters and consisted of a hundred tiers. The heaviest cake was also baked in the USA, only in the state of Alabama. This miracle weighed more than fifty tons. One of the main parts of this masterpiece was ice cream, and its shape resembled the image of the state on a geographical map.

But the longest cake was made by Peruvian chefs. Its length was two hundred and forty-six meters. It was decorated with an abundance of candied fruit and cream roses. Then it was divided into fifteen thousand pieces and treated to all the children of Peru who celebrated their birthday this month.

Russia also did not stay away from sweet records. Our confectioners made the largest cake for the birthday of the most famous department store in Moscow, GUM. The cake was decorated with a huge amount of jam and marzipans. Its height, which was recorded by invited experts from the administration of the Guinness Book of Records, was three meters, and its weight was three tons.

If you look back several centuries ago, then in Russia the concept of a cake did not exist. From ancient times in Rus' they baked a wedding loaf. Of course, it was not a full-fledged cake, but at the same time it was the most festive and elegant cake. "Bride's pie" was made only in a round shape. This is also due to the fact that our ancestors put a certain meaning into this form. The circle symbolized the sun, which means well-being, health and fertility.

The wedding loaf was richly decorated with various braids, braids and curlicues. Sometimes figures were placed in its center, which denoted the newlyweds: the bride and groom. It was customary to serve the pie at the very end of the celebration; it served as a kind of sign for the guests.

A similar custom of baking a wedding cake existed in ancient Rome, only there it was crumbled over the head of the bride, also putting wishes and parting words to the young people into this action.

Today, a wedding cake is a separate and very important component of any confectionery everyday life. More recently, Russian weddings were treated with ordinary cakes. But the custom of specially baking and ordering huge desserts, consisting of several tiers, richly decorated with fruits and cream, came to us from America. And there he got, of course, from the countries of Europe.

It was in London that the first multi-tiered cakes appeared. Such cakes are sometimes brought into the hall where the celebration is taking place, on special carts, due to their particular fragility and, of course, a lot of weight. And the very procedure of cutting off the first piece has been surrounded by a halo of pomposity since the eighteenth century.

Modern cakes are decorated with marzipans, meringues, meringues, chocolate, fruits. The choice and riot of colors of decorative elements is limited only by the imagination and taste of the confectioner.

Have you decided to decorate the cake in an unusual way? And surprise your guests? Make chocolate rose petals. Despite their fragility, they can be easily made by yourself. To do this, dip real rose petals in melted chocolate. When it hardens, carefully remove the resulting chocolate petals and decorate the dessert with them.

In order for your glaze to acquire a bright shade, it can be colored with natural dyes. So to give the glaze a pink or rich red hue, add a few drops of beetroot juice. In order to make the glaze yellow or lemon, pour a few tablespoons of orange juice into it. In this case, the icing will turn out not only beautiful, but also tasty.

In order for the glaze to lay on the surface of the product in an even layer, you first need to add a little butter to it.

Often, when cutting cakes, especially large ones, all their beauty is lost. Drawings crack, break, roses fall or are unevenly cut. To avoid such troubles, you can first cut the cake, and then decorate each piece separately.

For true sweet tooth who prefer everything chocolate, including cakes, we can advise:

The easiest and most popular way to decorate a cake with chocolate is to grate it. To do this, you can use absolutely any chocolate, bitter, milk, white or with nuts. The tile is pre-cooled in the refrigerator, and then rubbed on a grater. The resulting chips and sprinkle the cake.

Chocolate lace. This cake decoration looks very impressive and elegant. To make chocolate lace, melt chocolate and use a pastry syringe. Again, you can take any chocolate, but always without various additives, nuts, raisins, etc. Prepare a sheet of waxed paper, create a pattern on it from intricate weaves of lines and patterns. Let cool and dry, and then peel off the paper very carefully. By the way, resourceful housewives advise that if you do not have a culinary syringe, use a regular plastic bag with a cut corner.

Chocolate curls. With this decoration, the cake looks more airy and festive. Making such a decoration is also easy. Take a bar of chocolate at room temperature. Compliance with this requirement is very important, the success of the result depends on it. If the chocolate is warm, then the curls simply will not work, and if it is very cold, then they will break, which will also not look so aesthetically pleasing. Next, take a sharp knife and, as it were, plan the edges of the chocolate bar. The longer the edge, the curls will be more ornate.

But let's return to the history of cakes and tell a little about the origin of such famous creations of culinary art as the Sacher cake and the Napoleon cake.

Cake "Sacher"!

This cake was first served at the table of the Austrian king, and was invented or first baked by Franz Sacher. Therefore, the cake got the name of a famous chef in its name. Or the chef became famous for his sweet creation. The story behind this cake is quite funny. Once an Austrian prince and a nobleman respected at court called his subjects and asked: this evening I want to treat my guests with something new and unusual. But, ironically, it was on that day that the chef of the court kitchen fell ill and it so happened that there was simply no one to cook the cake. Many were frightened, only Franz Sacher decided to fulfill the will of the king. The cake consisted of chocolate cakes covered with chocolate icing, and under it was a delicious orange jam. The recipe for this cake, even at that time, was not something secret, but only the young Sacher could cook it so tasty and unusually.

Napoleon cake"

There are several theories about the origin of this delicacy. According to one of them, the Napoleon cake got its name from the city of Naples, where it was prepared. According to another legend, the Napoleon cake was specially designed and baked on the occasion of the celebration of the centenary of the victory over Napoleon's troops near Moscow. The best minds of confectioners working at the homes of aristocrats worked on this miracle of cooking. The cake consisted of many thin layers smeared with sweet cream. The cake became a kind of symbol of Russia's victory over Napoleon.

But this truly heroic cake survived not the best of times. In the post-revolutionary era during the NEP, he began to serve as an appetizer in taverns and low-grade eateries. His appearance was careless, and cutting this cake in the presence of guests was considered simply indecent. Therefore, educated housewives cut it in the kitchen away from prying eyes and only then served it on the table.

In many ways, such a deplorable state of this glorious cake was due to the lack and high cost of products. The cream was prepared using cheap flour, and the technology was violated when baking cakes.

Time passed, customs changed, but the Napoleon cake still remains a favorite. Now the recipe for this delicacy is passed down from generation to generation. And every Russian family has its own special secret on how to make Napoleon cake tender and very tasty.

Interesting facts about desserts

Ø Real gourmets and gourmands of gourmet sweet dishes prefer desserts, which include one ingredient that only wealthy customers can afford. This ingredient is a gem! It is added to the dessert as a decoration and a sign of the quality of the served dish. A variety of desserts in the world can boast of such a "zest".

The cost of such a dessert can reach several thousand dollars!

According to people who have tried this dessert, the diamonds that make up the dessert serve not only as an excellent and original decoration, but also give the dessert an exquisite taste and even aroma!

Ø When ordering a strawberry dessert at the old Arnaud's restaurant in New Orleans, do not forget to look at the price tag: on a special order for $ 1.4 million, the restaurant's chef will prepare a signature dish for you - strawberries marinated in port wine with mint and cream, decorated with a gold ring with a 5-carat pink diamond owned by the prominent British financier Sir Ernest Cassel, enjoy this splendor accompanied by live jazz in a private room inside the restaurant or on the balcony overlooking the famous Bourbon Street.

Ø Restaurant Wine3, located in one of the resorts of Sri Lanka, has been trying to ruin its visitors for 14.5 thousand dollars for a year now, for which they offer The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence, a luxurious dessert. The dish consists of Italian cassata (a Neapolitan type of ice cream with lollipops, dried fruits and nuts) made of golden leaf with Irish cream flavor. Mango, pomegranate and sabayon with the addition of champagne are located inside a fragile structure imitating a fishing net, and a chocolate structure with a fisherman sitting over a large aquamarine joined the cake.

Ø World-famous chef Pierre Herme creates the most amazing macaroons, the cost of which is more than 7.5 thousand dollars. In addition to the traditional chocolate ganache, the chef adds rare spices and additives, such as fleur de sel and balsamic vinegar, to the composition of the cookies, thanks to which the dessert acquires a refined and unusual taste.

Ø "Sultan's Golden Pie" is a delicacy that is not so dramatically expensive, but it promises to pamper your receptors no worse than previous desserts. Crafted within 72 hours, the cake is a brick of edible 24-carat gold that hides juicy apricots, pears, quince, figs marinated in Jamaican rum and finely chopped black truffles. The dessert is served in a custom-made sterling silver box with a gold seal. Price - 1 thousand dollars.

Ø Bangkok's Lebua Hotel's Italian restaurant indulges in a mix of delicacies: sherbet from Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2000, edible gold leaves, a small glass of creme brulee and Perigord truffles, chocolate strawberry mousse and a slice of delicious chocolate cake. To feel the heavenly sweetness of the dessert is offered in contrast with a glass of Moyet Tres Vieille Grande Champagne No. 7. Cost - $640.

Ø Knipschildt Chocolatier's Madeleine Truffles are $250 each and consist of French Valrona chocolate and fresh cream whipped for 24 hours with vanilla chips and pure truffle oil, dipped in chocolate and cocoa powder. The process of creating sweets takes a lot of time and effort, so they are prepared only to order and served in a silver box with a personal note from the confectioner Fritz Knipschildt.

Ø Chef Marc Guibert of the Lindeth Howe Country House has created the world's most expensive dessert. They became a chocolate pudding with champagne jelly and expensive cookies, decorated with pieces of gold and a 2-carat diamond.

The $34,000 pudding looks like a big golden Faberge egg. It is made from 4 of the best Belgian chocolates and must be ordered 3 weeks in advance so that the chef has time to prepare the sweetness in the best possible way.

Ø In honor of the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia in 1926, a dessert was named - meringue cake with fresh fruit. The exact time and place of the invention of the dessert has not been established and is the subject of a protracted dispute between New Zealanders and Australians.

The right dessert recipes

The main purpose of the dessert is to complete the meal, and not to completely fill the stomach, but to smooth out the effect of all previous dishes. At present, the true historical meaning of this word is being distorted. The French understood a dessert as a light, airy dish, they came up with recipes for desserts that had a refreshing, invigorating effect.

That is why, in a true French sense, the category of desserts includes fresh berries, varied in taste, jelly color, fresh fruits, freshly squeezed juices. The taste of desserts made from these products is slightly sour, but not too sweet. Modern recipes for real desserts take into account this feature.

Variety of dessert recipes

There are a lot of types of desserts in modern and traditional cooking. But all dessert recipes can be divided into several large categories:

Cold: The temperature of these desserts is quite low.

Hot: Desserts with a high temperature. This group includes drinks such as tea, cocoa, coffee, coffee drinks. Their advantage is that they have a positive effect in several directions: they speed up the passage of food through the digestive tract, energize, and improve mood.

Features of the dessert table and dessert recipes from different countries

In order to competently arrange a table for dessert, it must be prepared either separately from the main table with dishes, or first remove all the dishes, all remaining products from the main table. Most often, alcoholic drinks are served with dessert, such as semi-sweet or sweet wine, liquor, but this is not a strict rule. In addition, for the dessert table, all fruits served should be placed in large vases. If dessert recipes do not involve fruits (for example, jelly), then each person uses their own dessert dishes, designed for one serving. Another option for serving the dish is a large plate designed for all guests.

In different countries of the world, dessert recipes are diverse and original. Therefore, desserts from Italy, Greece and other countries are often prepared.

How to choose the right dessert recipes?

There is no exact answer to this question, but some recommendations can be given. Firstly, the selected dishes must be acceptable to all family members, that is, before cooking, you must carefully study the ingredients that make up the composition.

With all its diversity, conventionally dessert recipes can be divided into three main types:

)polyingredient;

)complex in texture.

Mono-ingredient dishes usually consist of one main fruit, which is baked or chopped in a fancy way. It is served with a side dish in the form of mint, flowers or a special soft sauce with ice cream. On the Delicious.ru culinary portal, you can find recipes for such desserts in this section.

Poly-ingredient dishes are already more difficult to prepare, since they consist of two or more components, which must necessarily be combined with each other. It can be a cocktail glass filled with fruit salad or ice cream made by one's own hands. Delicious and easy dessert recipes for children can also beautifully diversify the festive table by making multi-tiered compositions of fruits and ice cream.

Texture dishes are not only about laying out ready-made ingredients as a garnish and decoration. They can also be served with pastries or fancy iced chocolate arrangements. Dessert recipes with similar additional gastronomic accessories can also be found in the collection of our portal. In addition, you can combine them with each other, thereby creating your own dish.

Dessert recipes

Ø Pickled fruit sweets

Ingredients:

o Fresh pears - 4 pieces.

o Fresh apples (sweet variety) - 2 pieces.

o Granulated sugar - 1 cup.

o Citric acid - 1 teaspoon.

o Peppercorns - 10 peas.

o Carnation (buds) - 5 pieces.

o Filtered water - 1 glass (200 ml).

Cooking:

Pour water into a small saucepan, add sugar, citric acid, pepper and cloves.

Bring the marinade to a boil, reduce the flame, place the pears, previously cut into slices, into the pan.

Boil for three minutes, put the pears in a small jar, add slices of sweet apples, pour the marinade until the slices are completely immersed.

Leave fruit to cool completely. Then take the slices out of the marinade. Melt a bar of dark chocolate in a water bath.

Using a fork, dip each piece into melted chocolate and place on a parchment paper-lined table.

Place the "fruit candies" in the refrigerator to set the chocolate.

Ø Winter dessert "Snowballs"

Ingredients:

o Fresh milk - 375 ml.

o Chicken egg - 2 pcs.

o Granulated sugar - 2 tablespoons.

o Vanilla sugar - 1 teaspoon.

Cooking:

Separate whites from yolks. Proteins thoroughly beat in a strong foam (do not use enameled dishes!). Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the whipped proteins, mix for a short time until the sugar crystals dissolve.

In a separate saucepan, heat milk to a boil, dissolve vanilla sugar (a teaspoon) in it. Reduce the fire to a minimum. Using a teaspoon, form a lump of protein foam, which is lowered into hot milk. There can be no more than three or four lumps in milk. "Snowballs" should increase in size. Carefully remove the finished lumps to a plate. At the same time, their volume will decrease slightly. Thus, it is necessary to use all the whipped proteins.

To prepare the sauce you will need: mix the remaining yolks with sugar. Add two tablespoons of milk from the refrigerator. Stir. Add the resulting mixture to the hot milk that remains on the stove, boil. Put the snowballs in bowls or other dishes, pour the sauce over the "snowballs" in a thin stream.

Before use, it is necessary to cool the dish in the refrigerator for at least 120 minutes.

Ø Glazed curds

Ingredients:

o 500 g cottage cheese (rustic crumbly)

o 100 g sour cream

o 2 eggs

o 1 tablespoon semolina

o 0.5 cup sugar

o vanilla

o 100 g chocolate for glaze

For filler:

o 2 tablespoons cocoa (nuts, raisins, candied fruit, chocolate)

Cooking:

Mix cottage cheese, sour cream, eggs, semolina, sugar, vanilla.

Grind everything with a blender to get a homogeneous mass.

Add filler to this mixture (to taste).

Cover the form with foil and lay out the prepared curd mass.

Smooth out the surface of the curd mass.

Place this mold in another mold that is larger and has high sides.

Pour water into a large mold up to half the height of the mold with curd mass.

Place the molds in the oven and bake the curd mass for 30 minutes at 160°C.

Remove the molds from the oven, cool, and then place in the freezer for 30-40 minutes.

Carefully turn the cooled curd mass onto a board, free from foil.

Wet the knife in hot water and cut into sticks, the size of which should correspond to the size of classic glazed curds.

Melt the chocolate in a water bath and carefully pour it over the prepared sticks

dessert salad

Ingredients:

o 4 large oranges

o 4 apples

o 1 cup cranberries

o 1 large bunch of white grapes

o 300 g chicken ham

For sauce:

o 100 g soft goat cheese

o 100 ml cream

o 2 lemons

o 3 tablespoons lemon juice

o 1 teaspoon poppy

Carefully cut the oranges in a zigzag pattern into two halves. Separate the fruit pulp from the peel with a spoon. Divide the orange into slices and cut into small cubes.

Wash the apples, choose the core with stones, cut the apples into small cubes too.

Wash cranberries, put on a sieve, let drain.

Wash the grapes, separate the berries from the branches. Dry the berries.

Cut ham into cubes

Mix prepared apples, orange pulp, grapes, cranberries and ham in a bowl.

Arrange the salad in bowls of orange halves.

Prepare the sauce. To do this, mix goat cheese and cream in a blender. Add the finely grated zest of two lemons, lemon juice and poppy seeds.

Dress the salad with the resulting sauce and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Ø Sweets "Raffaello" homemade

Ingredients:

o Butter - 0.5 packs.

o Creamy waffles (with filling) - 1 pack.

o Coconut shavings.

o Condensed milk - 0.5 cans.

o Almonds (whole) - 100 gr.

o Vanilla sugar.

Cooking:

Soften the butter (do not melt!).

Add sugar (a pinch), coconut flakes (2 tablespoons), condensed milk to the butter, beat thoroughly with a mixer.

Put the resulting cream in the refrigerator, keep there for about five hours.

Wafers need to be finely chopped.

Take the frozen cream out of the refrigerator.

Make small balls from the cream, place one almond nut inside each ball.

Roll the balls in the waffle crumbs, then in the coconut.

Put the prepared sweets in the refrigerator to harden.

Serve candies directly from the refrigerator.

Ø Revan

Ingredients:

To prepare the dough you will need:

o 100 g flour

o 100 g granulated sugar

o 100 g semolina

o 5 eggs

To prepare the syrup you need:

o 300 ml water

o 300 g sugar

o 5 tablespoons cranberries

o vanilla sugar

Cooking:

1. Separate the yolks from the proteins, add sugar, warm water and beat everything with a mixer until a fluffy, porous mass.

Add separately beaten egg whites and, gradually continuing to beat, flour and semolina.

Pour the resulting mass into a baking sheet lined with oiled parchment for baking, and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The oven must not be opened until the end of baking, as the product will settle.

Cool the finished revana, cut into squares. Cut the squares diagonally, pour warm syrup over.

When the revana is soaked in syrup, serve.

Syrup preparation:

1. Rub cranberries through a strainer. Set aside the resulting juice with pulp for a while.

Pour hot water over the remaining squeezed strainer, bring to a boil and strain through a strainer.

Dissolve sugar in the resulting broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, removing the foam, then cool to 40-50°C and mix with cranberry juice.

Ø Sweets a la "Snickers"

Ingredients:

o 300 g dry cream,

o 3 tbsp cocoa powder

o 50 g softened butter,

o 0.5 cup milk or cream

o 400 g of any nuts,

o 1 cup of sugar.

First you need to mix milk, sugar and cocoa. Then put the resulting mixture to heat up on the fire. You need to stir it all the time so that it does not burn. Wait until it boils, then remove from heat, put the butter, previously softened and nuts. Mix well, adding dry cream little by little. When the mixture becomes solid, knead it with your hands. It should be a fairly thick mass.

Put cling film on a dish and pour dry cream. From the resulting mixture, make small balls that put on a dish. If the balls are difficult to roll, you just need to moisten your hands a little with water - the dough will not stick, and the balls will turn out to be perfectly shaped. After you make all the sweets, you need to cover them with cling film and put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Ø Peanut ice cream

Ingredients:

o Peanut butter - 4-5 tablespoons

o Sugar - 2 tablespoons (or to taste)

o Milk - 50-100 ml

o Ice cubes (from 0.25-0.3 liters of water)

Instructions:

This dessert should not be too sweet, rather just barely, then the taste will be very delicate. Despite the fact that I do not like peanut butter in itself, in ice cream its taste sounds different, very tasty!

In a blender, put ice, peanut butter, sugar, milk.

Beat everything until you get a homogeneous mass.

3. If the ice does not break, add some milk to make it melt a little.

Ø Frozen berry dessert

Ingredients:

For 4 servings:

o 500g mixed frozen berries of your choice

o 500 gr natural yogurt or non-acidic sour cream

o 3 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions:

Very simple, almost nothing is needed, except for a lot of time so that everything can be frozen qualitatively.

Defrost the berries for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Place the yoghurt, powdered sugar and berries in a food processor and blend for a long time until smooth. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 5 hours or overnight if possible.

Serve in glass goblets with cookies, scoop into glasses with a round ice cream scoop.

Ø Carrot ice cream with mascarone

Ingredients:

For 4-6 servings:

o 2 tbsp raisins (optional)

o 450 g carrots

o 250 g mascarpone cheese (see below)

o 100 ml whole milk

Instructions:

Children will never notice the vegetables in this sweet and delicious dessert.

Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 10-15 minutes until the raisins swell.

Peel and finely chop the carrots. Steam for 10 minutes until soft.

Transfer the boiled carrots to a blender and beat into a puree. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

Add mascarpone and milk, beat with a whisk until smooth.

If using dried fruit, drain and add to carrots.

Transfer the ice cream to the ice cream maker and turn it on - this will take about 20 minutes. Transfer to a container and place in the freezer.

On a note:MASCARPONE - Italian fresh white cheese of the type of milk curd made from whole cow's milk with cream, about half of the fat (Milan). It is oily and soft in texture, resembling soft butter in thickness. Mascarpone has a delicate taste and is ideal for preparing various dishes, such as the famous dessert Tiramisu.

Conclusion

Sweet food and drinks are a traditional addition to any menu. Lunches certainly end with them, they are the decoration and completion of the festive table. They are tasty, very nutritious, cause a feeling of fullness, enhance the activity of the digestive glands and help improve digestion.<#"justify">List of information sources

Cooking is sometimes closely connected with history: for example, some desserts can tell something interesting about the past of different countries and their rulers. Several centuries ago, the appearance of cakes or sweets became a real event, because there were not so many recipes for sweets.

"Let them eat cake"

A sweet brioche bun is not just a rich dough and a golden crust. In the 18th century in France, this appetizing dessert became one of the symbols of the confrontation between the monarchy and the people. Queen Marie Antoinette, being a big fan of noisy balls, sumptuous treats and daily feasts, was not very loved by the common people. At the same time, the ideas of the Enlightenment sounded louder in the cities. Over time, Marie Antoinette "settled down" and began to devote more time to her family, but notoriety is not so easily forgotten.

The famous phrase "Let them eat cakes" (Qu'ils mangent de la brioche) became the personification of everything that the people did not like in the queen. According to legend, Marie Antoinette said these words in response to complaints that the common people did not have enough bread. Brioche buns, whose name sounds in the original quote, are prepared using butter and eggs - products that were very rare for ordinary citizens. And although now there is an opinion that Marie Antoinette, most likely, did not say these words, it was for her arrogance and neglect of people's problems that the Queen was condemned by the Convention (the highest legislative and executive body of the First French Republic during the French Revolution).

Sweet dowry of Maria Theresa

The Spaniards were the first Europeans to recognize the taste of chocolate - they brought the delicacy recipe from South America in the 16th century, although the Aztecs themselves, from whom the conquistadors borrowed the method of making cocoa beans, did without sugar. The Spaniards guessed to make the dish sweet, after which everyone in the country became fans of the new dessert. However, the Spaniards were in no hurry to share the exclusive recipe with other states. For more than 100 years, they were the only inhabitants of Europe who drank hot chocolate: its recipe was considered the property of the country and was kept in the strictest confidence.

Decades later, the Spaniards nevertheless decided to reveal the secret, but not just like that, but as the highest gift. Chocolate first came to France in the middle of the 17th century with Princess Maria Theresa, who presented the delicacy as a dowry to King Louis XIV. He appreciated the gift and ordered that dessert be served at Versailles several times a week. Following the king, all the French aristocrats became fans of chocolate, and after that the whole of Europe.

Weapons of the "southern barbarians"

Until the arrival of the first Portuguese travelers in Japan in 1543, there were no sweets in the diet of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. The Japanese learned about sugar as early as the 8th century, but used it as a medicine, and considered chestnuts, persimmons, pears and other fruits as desserts. Therefore, the Japanese saw simple caramel and candies only in 1543, when Portuguese missionaries arrived to them. Sweet treats have become what bribed the strict Japanese.

There is even an example of how the Jesuit missionary Louis Froy presented the great samurai Oda Nobunaga with a jar of caramel, thereby gaining his warmest favor. So warm that Louis stayed at the commander's residence for a long time while writing his book. Times have passed, Japan closed itself off from the "southern barbarians" and almost completely stopped trading with them. However, nanbangashi (“sweets of the southern barbarians”) have settled in the diet of local residents so firmly that they have become considered a traditional delicacy. For example, in the name of Japanese caramel compeito, the Portuguese name is easily guessed. confeito- so close to candy.

Dessert of the Age of Discovery

Ice cream - a popular creamy dessert - was invented by the Chinese, and Europeans only recognized it in the Middle Ages, during the Age of Discovery. The famous navigator Marco Polo, who discovered Asia for the West, brought the dessert recipe to Italy. For almost three hundred years, the Italian aristocracy (ordinary people could not afford it) enjoyed the delicacy, keeping the recipe secret. In the 17th century, Countess Catherine de Medici married King Henry II of France and brought to court a chef who specialized in making ice cream. Since that time, the dessert has gained popularity among the French nobility, and having your own ice cream maker has become a kind of indicator of status.

There was a real battle for good cooks, the nobles poached them from each other, offering big money. A few centuries ago, making a dessert was really difficult, because refrigerators and freezers did not exist. Confectioners were forced to make do with ice, and the prepared delicacy was immediately served to the table so that it did not have time to melt.

Napoleon cake"

The famous layered dessert with custard is called "Napoleon" only in Russia. It would seem that everything is logical, because it was the Russian Empire that defeated the French troops in 1812. According to legend, the cake was first served at a celebration in honor of the 100th anniversary of the victory over Napoleon: it was prepared in the form of a cocked hat worn by the emperor.

However, the facts say otherwise: the cake came to Russia from France, where, in fact, Napoleon himself ate it. Only the dessert was then called differently: "Naples". This means that it was invented in southern Italy, and only then the recipe that is popular today has spread throughout Europe. How did the “Naples” cake in Russian cuisine turn into “Napoleon”? Apparently, the name changed after the Patriotic War of 1812 due to the consonance of words. It turns out that the dessert entered Russian history after the fact.

Watch the show "King of Desserts" (12+) on the Food Network on Thursdays at 21:50 Moscow time.

Photo: Ian O'Leary / Getty Images, Janine Lamontagne / Getty Images, Douglas Sacha / Getty Images, Maximilian Stock Ltd. / Getty Images, Igor Golovniov / EyeEm / Getty Images

USUALLY DESSERT IS ASSOCIATED WITH SWEETS, BUT THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF UNSWEETED DESSERTS - THESE ARE FRUITS AND NUTS IN THEIR ORIGINAL FORM WITHOUT SUGAR OR HONEY. And vice versa - NOT ALL SWEET DISHES CAN BE CALLED DESSERTS, EXAMPLE OF THIS IS PORK WITH PINEAPPLE FROM CHINESE CUISINE. DESSERT CAN ALSO CONSIST OF PIES - NOT ALWAYS SWEET, AND ALSO ASSORTED OF CHEESES - FROM FRUIT TO SPICY.

The name of this dish comes from the French desservir, which means "to clear the table." Today, all over the world, it is customary to call the final dishes of the table, regardless of what they are in the order of serving. The term has been introduced into European languages ​​since the 16th century. In Russian, "dessert" as a term has been known since 1652. Prior to that, it was replaced by the Russian word "snacks". But in the 18th century, due to the appearance of the word “snacks”, it became inconvenient. It was difficult to distinguish snacks from snacks, and therefore, from the middle of the 18th century, the word "snack" finally disappeared from Russian culinary terminology, and since that time only the word "dessert" has been used.

According to one version, the origin of the first cakes is connected with Italy. The well-known French proverb “they don’t argue about tastes” sounds in Italian - “they don’t argue about desserts (cakes). The very word "torta" in Italian means "twisting, sinuosity" and refers to the intricate curvy cream decorations that are made on top of cakes, but the confectioner in translation is a cake maker - a tortayo.

The most famous and widespread Italian dessert - Tiramisu - consists of three Italian words: tira mi su, which can literally be translated as "lift me up" - according to one version, because of its high calorie content. On the other hand, this is an emotional state and should be more accurately translated as “lift my mood”. There is an opinion that Tiramisu is an exciting treat (due to the combination of coffee and chocolate). In the past, wealthy nobles ate Tiramisu before their love dates.

The first portion of the famous dessert was prepared in northern Italy at the end of the 17th century. It happened almost by accident. The Tuscan Archduke Cosimo III de Medici, a famous sweet tooth, decided one day to pay a visit to neighboring Siena. Local chefs, wanting to please the distinguished guest, prepared a completely new dish for dessert, calling it zuppa del duca (duke's soup). The Archduke liked the soup so much that he ate everything to the last spoonful, and took the recipe with him to Florence, because he could not imagine his life without this delicacy. According to one version, Tiramisu received real recognition already in Venice, where he got thanks to the ubiquitous merchants.

These days this delicacy is known all over the world, but don't even expect to try the real Tiramisu outside of sunny Italy! The fact is that it is based on the freshest mascarpone cheese, which is produced only on the Apennine Peninsula, or rather, in Lombardy. In the emerald expanses of Lombardy, fat cows graze, from whose milk high-quality cream is obtained, and from cream - a unique cheese. The product is a cross between very fatty sour cream and butter. Its name comes from the word mascherpa - this is how cottage cheese is called in the Lombard dialect. If all other cheeses are a product of milk processing, then mascarpone is a product of cream processing, which gives the cheese a delicate aroma, delicate, unique taste and a powerful calorie charge.

According to another version, the Persians were the pioneers in the creation of sweet masterpieces. The most ordinary candle can serve as proof of their cooking viability. It was the East who invented this touching way - to open one's soul to another person with the help of a hot candle in a cake.

Lukum also has an interesting history. Confectioner Ali Mahiddin Khaki Bekir came to Istanbul from an Anatolian town at the beginning of the 18th century when he heard the call of his emperor: "I demand soft candies!" The resourceful Ali Mahiddin mixed water, sugar, grain starch, rose water and poured the mixture into flat containers with almonds to cool. Having cut the resulting sweet layers into pieces, he sprinkled each with powdered sugar and served it to the Sultan. The new confection was soft, easy to chew and had the most delicate taste. The delicacy instantly became the most popular in the city, and Ali Mahiddin became a celebrity - the flow of servants to the palace did not stop to buy Turkish delight for their rulers. More than 250 years have passed since then. During this time, the descendants of Ali Mahiddin experimented with the Turkish Delight recipe, adding walnuts, pistachios, almonds, fruits, melted cream and, of course, chocolate.

And yet, the French are the trendsetters in the manufacture of cakes and pastries, because it was in France that patisserie cafes first appeared, as evidenced by the names of cake ingredients caressing the ear - cream, jelly, meringue, caramel, biscuit, which are of French origin.

But no matter how long the debate about who first created the dessert continues, it is currently impossible to find a civilized people who would not be bound by historical obligations to serve a sweet product to the festive table.

Desserts, like no other dishes, provide an opportunity for those preparing them to show imagination. A dessert dish can consist of any components, whether it will be decorated magnificently or elegantly simple, depends only on the culinary imagination. Whipped cream, nuts, candied fruits, chocolate, fruits - a real palette that not only a professional confectioner, but also a novice cook can handle. The easiest option is to prepare a dish from ready-made, store-bought semi-finished products and decorations. But in this case, you need to especially try to arrange and submit them correctly and beautifully.

It is customary to serve brandy, liqueurs and sweet wines with dessert, although this is not at all necessary. The classically strict design of the dessert table requires fruits laid in special vases. Everything else can be served either beautifully laid out on a common dish, or in portioned dishes. It’s not enough for today’s desserts to just be sweet. The final stage of the feast at events is becoming more and more original. Traditional chocolate products no longer occupy the first positions. Now desserts are becoming less high-calorie, served in smaller portions and acquiring new, sometimes unexpected tastes and aromas thanks to unusual combinations.

Dear cooks! Don't you know how many delicious sweets there are in the world?! However, most often we prepare desserts that we are accustomed to since childhood.

Cake "Napoleon" and "Honey cake", eclairs, cake "Potato", kurabye or apple charlotte - all this was once cooked by our mother or grandmother for many of us, and now we cook ourselves. Nowadays, fashionable cupcakes, muffins, cheesecakes, French macaroons, savoiardi cookies and many other delicacies have become no less popular with us than, for example, the good old Napoleon.

Now we can say with confidence that all these desserts have become truly legendary. The recipe for each of these sweet masterpieces has its own interesting story, and the appearance of some is even still shrouded in secrets and conjectures.

For example, do you know how it appeared in Russia "Honey cake"?

Honey has been our national sweet since the times of Ancient Rus', replacing sugar for a long time. However, according to a well-known story, the honey cake appeared only in the 19th century, thanks to the new confectioner of the imperial court of Alexander I. Then the chef prepared a cake from honey cakes with custard, and the recipe was completely new and had never been tested before. The confectioner did not take into account one thing ... The emperor's wife, Elizaveta Alekseevna, could not stand honey! No one dared to cook something from honey for her, except for this new cook, who did not know about the tastes of the empress. Fortunately, Elizaveta really liked the cake, the confectioner was generously rewarded for his excellent recipe, and the Medovik cake is now one of the most popular cakes in Russia.

At the court of the same Alexander I in Russia, our favorite eclairs, thanks to the French confectioner Marie-Antoine Karem (he was already famous all over the world then), who served the emperor in St. Petersburg. From French, eclair is translated as "lightning, flash." According to one version, the cake was named so because the icing of the eclair is shiny, like a flash of lightning.

The same Marie-Antoine Karem prepared for the emperor Charlotte in Paris. Back then, this pie was called Charlotte and was a creative interpretation of a recipe Karem had learned while serving in England. Initially, a kind of bread pudding was called Charlotte: slices of bread in fruit syrup and apples (sometimes apricots or pears) were stacked in layers, and the dessert did not require heat treatment. Over time, a recipe for baked Charlotte appeared.

Karem changed the English recipe beyond recognition. Instead of apples, he put custard cream, replaced the bread with a biscuit, and served the dish cold.
After the victory of the Russian troops in the Patriotic War of 1812, the pie was renamed Charlotte in Russian. In Russia, the recipe has been simplified and acquired a form well known to you. The modern name "charlotte" appeared relatively recently - in the second half of the 20th century.

This is an interesting story of the desserts that are well known to you. However, the story about cupcakes that have recently become popular in Russia is also very curious.

cupcake Literally translated as "cup cake". This cake is really very small, like a cup, and is an individual cake (like a muffin). From above, the cupcake is decorated with cream, icing and other delicious elements, which distinguishes it from muffin and cupcake. The first cupcake recipe appeared in America at the very end of the 18th century. In this recipe, all the ingredients for the cupcake pie were measured in cups. Cupcakes acquired their modern look only at the beginning of the 20th century.

Cupcake dough, like many cakes, is made from flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. You can add nuts, raisins and other ingredients to your taste. The most important thing is the cream that decorates the top of the cupcake.

Real cupcakes, like many other desserts, are made with brown cane sugar. The fact is that it is he who is able to give the test a special taste. In addition, unrefined sugar contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and B vitamins. Ordinary white sugar cannot boast of such indicators.

We hope that this small historical digression into the world of legendary sweets will inspire you to cook something delicious. High-quality sugar will help you create any sweet treat. "Mistral" made from the best Mauritian sugar cane in the world.

Do you want to become the creator of a real legend, go down in history and stand on a par with famous confectioners? Participate in the competition !

• May 26, 2015, 10:24 am
• 11838

Dessert- This is a group of culinary products that are served at the end of the meal. As a rule, desserts are confectionery, pastries and sweets. However, in addition to sweet dishes, there are other types of desserts. Fruit, cheese, as well as pies with various fillings, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are often served for dessert.

Desserts serve one main purpose - to get a pleasant taste sensation at the end of the meal. Desserts are usually served at the end of dinner or lunch. All kinds of desserts became widespread in Europe only in the 19th century. It was at this time that the order of the meal was formed, which should end with dessert. It is worth noting that it has always been customary to decorate desserts with the help of exquisite confectionery decorations. This is primarily due to the fact that initially not all segments of the population could afford desserts.

Meals of wealthy people ended with desserts, while ordinary people bought or prepared confectionery and sweets only on holidays. That is why the guests expected dessert all evening as the most important dish of the festive meal. In modern confectionery production, dyeing for desserts has become commonplace, however, like the sweets themselves in general.

At present, any consumer can purchase in a grocery store or a specialized confectionery both the most ordinary sweets, which also belong to desserts, and multi-tiered cakes or pastries. The most favorite types of desserts are cakes, pastries, cakes, and ice cream.

In addition, waffles, jelly, marshmallows, muffins, fruit salads, mousses and so on can be served as a dessert. For dessert, not only confectionery or sweets can be served, but also drinks. Desserts include both alcoholic, usually wines, liqueurs or tinctures, and non-alcoholic drinks, such as hot chocolate, coffee, jelly tea, compote or a cocktail.

Depending on the type of culinary product or drink served to the table, desserts are divided into hot or cold. According to the serving rules, desserts are served in special dishes (dessert plate, vases, dishes, bowls, bowls, etc.).

In addition, the table is served for serving dessert with special cutlery (dessert fork, knife, fruit fork, ice cream spoon), as well as drinking utensils (cups, glasses for wine, a glass for liquor or tinctures). Desserts occupy an important place in the culinary tradition of the vast majority of world states, because few people can refuse confectionery and sweets.

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