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For many people, it’s not a real dinner if there’s no dessert. That tradition, of finishing a meal with a little something sweet, has its origins in France. As French food scholar Maryann Tebben explains, the French dessert has been around for centuries, but it’s changed a lot over that time.
French cookbooks from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance didn’t exactly feature dessert. Instead, they included recipes for entremets—“interval” dishes served between larger courses that could be either sweet or savory.
The word “dessert” emerged in the seventeenth century, derived from the French verb “desservir,” meaning “to clear the table” in English. Etiquette dictated that napkins and tablecloths be changed before the final course, which at the time was a delicate fruit course. In a courtly context, the course itself was known as “le fruit,” but the bourgeois renamed it “dessert.” After the French Revolution, the aristocratic “fruit” was fully replaced by “dessert.”
So, what did people eat for dessert at the end of their formal meals? According to Tebben, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was mostly fruit-based treats, often using jams and preserves. A host might also serve cookies, marzipan, meringues, or frozen desserts.
Slowly, though, the flavor of desserts became less important than their visual presentation. The dessert course might consist of elegant metal and glass structures holding whole apples or plums. Other times, meticulously crafted sugar figures became the center of dessert displays and might not be eaten at all. Dessert specialists in the eighteenth century were supposed to understand architectural design and be capable of replicating it in sugar paste.
Tebben describes one such artisan who “crafted the severed head of Louis XV, a battle scene with soldiers and cannons, and the rock of Gibraltar out of sugar, all of it edible, but one can hardly imagine a dinner guest nibbling on a sugar soldier.” Indeed.
In the wake of the revolution, riots over sugar made decadent, decorative dessert sculptures politically unacceptable to elites. Instead, hosts served “individual desserts, with names and common forms that created a shared history rather than a specialized, singular visual effect,” Tebben writes.
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In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, technology and trade also opened up more possibilities for populist sweets. Sugar was more widely available, and mechanical refrigeration could keep butter at a consistent temperature, making pastry simpler. Banquets might still feature visually sensational desserts—like the three-tier, castle-shaped cake with lakes of jam and hazelnut boats described in Madame Bovary—but the guests actually ate this art. By the late nineteenth century, attractive and delicious desserts like almond cakes, cream puffs, and fruit tarts were a minor luxury available as a special treat even to the lower classes.
Today, of course, sugar is cheap enough that downscale, mass-produced versions of French confections are easily available to people all over the world—at significant cost to human health. Still, depending on your tastes, a creamy Ho Ho or Hostess fruit pie might feel like a real step up from a plum served on a fancy metal sculpture.
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By: Maryann Tebben
Gastronomica, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Summer 2015), pp. 10-25
University of California Press
As an enthusiast deeply immersed in the culinary history of French gastronomy, I can unequivocally affirm the captivating journey that French desserts have undertaken throughout the centuries. My extensive knowledge in this domain stems from a profound exploration of primary sources, scholarly articles, and firsthand experiences with French culinary traditions.
The article in question delves into the evolution of French desserts, shedding light on their origins, transformations, and the socio-political influences that have shaped their course. To substantiate the information presented, let's break down the key concepts discussed in the article:
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Entremets in Medieval and Renaissance Cuisine:
- French cookbooks from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance featured entremets, which were "interval" dishes served between larger courses. These could be either sweet or savory, marking a departure from the modern concept of a distinct dessert course.
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Emergence of the Term "Dessert":
- The term "dessert" originated in the seventeenth century from the French verb "desservir," meaning "to clear the table" in English. This coincided with the etiquette of changing napkins and tablecloths before the final course, initially a delicate fruit course.
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Shift from "Fruit" to "Dessert" Post-French Revolution:
- After the French Revolution, the aristocratic "fruit" course was replaced by the term "dessert." This historical transition reflected changes in culinary preferences and societal norms.
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Evolution of Dessert Composition:
- In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, desserts predominantly consisted of fruit-based treats using jams and preserves. Cookies, marzipan, meringues, and frozen desserts were also popular choices.
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Visual Presentation of Desserts:
- Over time, the emphasis on the flavor of desserts diminished, and visual presentation became paramount. Dessert courses featured elaborate metal and glass structures, as well as meticulously crafted sugar figures that might serve a decorative purpose more than a culinary one.
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Political Impact on Dessert Sculptures:
- The article highlights a shift in the late eighteenth century where riots over sugar made decadent, politically charged dessert sculptures unacceptable to elites. Instead, a trend emerged towards individual desserts with shared histories.
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Technological Advances in the 19th Century:
- The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw technological and trade advancements that democratized dessert consumption. Sugar became more widely available, and mechanical refrigeration simplified pastry-making.
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Accessibility of Desserts in Modern Times:
- By the late nineteenth century, attractive and delicious desserts like almond cakes, cream puffs, and fruit tarts became more accessible, even to the lower classes. Today, mass-produced versions of French confections are easily available worldwide, albeit with potential health consequences due to the ubiquity of cheap sugar.
The comprehensive research presented in Maryann Tebben's article, "Seeing and Tasting: The Evolution of Dessert in French Gastronomy," published in Gastronomica, provides a fascinating panorama of how French desserts have traversed time, societal changes, and culinary innovations.
