Even at beginners level, very few students do not know the word "pâtisserie". It suggests shop windows crammed with pretty little cakes with odd names, rows of creamy creations which can be "consommés sur place"(eaten in) or "à emporter" (taken home) in equally pretty boxes. Sometimes, the box will even be adorned with a yes, pretty ribbon!!! La pâtisserie can also offer chocolates, sweets and other treats such as fine liquors. But it has got to be cute and well presented. Don't be surprised if you are asked "Je vous l'emballe?"(Shall I wrap it for you?) as cakes and chocolates are often given as gifts to dinner party hosts. Or you could ask: "Vous pouvez mettre un emballage -cadeau?" (Could you gift-wrap it?)
To name all the cakes would be an impossible task but here are some classics (sorry no croissants in sight!):
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| The Paris-Brest was created in 1910 by Louis Durand, inspired by a bicycle race. |
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| Le mille-feuille, a pastry litteraly meaning "a thousand leaves" or layers. |
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| Le Saint-Honoré, named after the saint patron of bakers, made of caramelised choux. |
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| Le pain aux raisins. |
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| Le chou à la crème. |
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| La religieuse (the nun),usually comes in chocolate or coffee flavour. |
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| Le savarin, a variation of le baba, named after Brillat-Savarin, a famous 18th-century food writer, this rich yeast cake is soaked with rum-flavored syrup and filled with cream and/or fruit. To finish, let us correct a very famous misquote; Marie-Antoinette did not say "Let them eat cake!" but "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!" |
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