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Crème caramel (), flan, caramel pudding or caramel custard is a
custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fr ...
dessert Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts o ...
with a layer of clear
caramel Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard. The process of carameli ...
sauce.


History

The origin of crème caramel (also known originally as flan) can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire. Originally, this dish was called tiropatinam and it was made with eggs, milk and pepper and it was seasoned in its savoury version with fish, eel, and spinach, although there was also a sweet version with honey. It was in the early Middle Ages, in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, when they started using only the ingredients from which the original recipe is made today, and introduced caramelised sugar into the mixture and to call it flan, which comes from the proto-germanic 'flado'. In the late 20th century crème caramel was common in European restaurants. The food historian Alan Davidson speculates that this may have been because the dish could be prepared in bulk, in advance.


Etymology of names

In this context, ''crème'' in French means '
custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fr ...
'. The names ''crème (caramel) renversée'' (French) and ''crema volteada'' (Spanish) allude to the custard being turned over to be served. Both ''crème caramel'' ("caramel cream") and ''flan'' are
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
names, but ''flan'' has come to have different meanings in different regions. In Spanish-speaking countries and often in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, crème caramel is known as ''flan''. This was originally a
Spanish-language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a global language with more than 500 million native speakers, mainly in the Am ...
usage, but the dish is now best known in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
in a Latin American context. Elsewhere, including in Britain, a flan is a type of tart somewhat like a
quiche Quiche ( ) is a French tart consisting of pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. A well-known variant is quiche Lorraine, which includes lardons or bacon. Quiche may be served hot, warm ...
. The Modern English word ''flan'' comes from French ''flan'', from
Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...
''flaon'', in turn from
Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...
''fladonem'', derived from the
Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old Hig ...
''flado'', a sort of flat cake, probably from an
Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Du ...
root for 'flat' or 'broad'.


Preparation, cooking and presentation


Preparation

Crème caramel is a variant of plain custard (crème) where sugar syrup cooked to caramel stage is poured into the mold before adding the custard base. It is usually cooked in a bain-marie on a stovetop or in the oven in a water bath. It is turned and served with the caramel sauce on top, hence the alternate French names ''crème (caramel) renversée'' or ''crème renversée au caramel''. The milk may be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, or lemon peel. The resulting texture is gelatinous and creamy. Turning out larger dishes requires care, as the custard easily splits. Larger dishes also require more care to avoid undercooking the interior or overcooking the exterior. Thus, crème caramel is often cooked and served in individual ramekins. The objective is to obtain a homogeneous and smooth cream on the surface of the ''crème caramel'' with a liquid caramel base. Cooking it in a bain-marie avoids burning the caramel.


Imitations

An imitation of crème caramel may be prepared from "instant flan powder", which is thickened with
agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar i ...
or carrageenan rather than eggs. In some
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...
n countries, the true custard version is known as "milk flan" (flan de leche) or even "milk cheese", and the substitute version is known as just "flan".


Regional varieties


Spain

In
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, Flan is a typical Spanish dessert, where most of the variations exist. It is a homemade dessert of which you can also find many variations in grocery stores and it is usually served as a dessert in most restaurants. The best known version is the typical 'Flan de huevo' (egg flan), but there are many other versions, such as ''flan de queso'', ''flan de leche'', ''flan de vainilla'', etc. In the original version, the flan has a layer of caramelised sugar that is sometimes crystallised to make it hard.


Argentina and Uruguay

In
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
and
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, crème caramel is usually eaten with ''
dulce de leche ''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, ...
'', whipped cream, or both (''flan mixto'').


Brazil and Venezuela

In
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, it is often made with
condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condense ...
, milk, eggs, and sugar caramelized on top. The Venezuelan version is known as ''quesillo'' ("small cheese") and in Brazil, it is known as ''pudim'' ("pudding"). It can have variations of flavor, such as chocolate, coconut, paçoca (peanut candy), cheese, and others, being the condensed milk pudding a base recipe.


Caribbean

Also at most equatorial and Caribbean countries the inclusion of coconut, condensed milk and evaporated milk is widespread. The milk base may also be flavored with nuts, fruit, and so on.


Chile

In
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
, ''Leche asada'' or 'roasted milk' is similar to Crème caramel because it is made with the same ingredients, but ''Leche asada'' has a less smooth texture and is baked directly, which creates a toasted layer on the surface. In Chile, it is often eaten with '' dulce de membrillo'' (
quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright ...
jelly) or
condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condense ...
.


Costa Rica

Flan in
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
often features coconut or coffee (''flan de café'').


Croatia

In
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
, ''rožata'', ''rozata'', ''rožada'' or ''rozada'' () is flavored with the Dubrovnik
liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyon ...
rozalin (rose liqueur), which gives the cake its characteristic aroma. Modern variations include vanilla and other flavorings.


Cuba

Cuban flan (''flan de
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
'') is made with the addition of the whites of two eggs and a cinnamon stick. A similar Cuban dish is ''Copa Lolita'', a small caramel flan served with one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Other variations include coconut or rum raisin topping.


Dominican Republic

In the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
, only egg yolks are used, mixed with vanilla, evaporated milk, and condensed milk. Coconut flan is known as ''quesillo''.


India

Caramel custard is popular, especially in the larger coastal cities, and in former Portuguese colonies such as Goa, Daman and Diu. Sometimes,
masala chai Masala chai (, ; Urdu: مصالحہ چائے, Hindi: मसाला चाय) is an Indian tea beverage made by boiling black tea in milk and water with a mixture of aromatic herbs and spices. Originating in India the beverage has gained worl ...
is added on the side. It is a staple on restaurant menus in the beach resorts along India's coasts and also prepared regularly in the home kitchens of the Anglo-Indian
Goan Goans ( kok, गोंयकार, Romi Konkani: , pt, Goeses) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, who form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Indo-Portuguese, and ...
,
Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomin ...
, Mangalorean and
Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...
communities.


Japan

Packaged crème caramel is ubiquitous in Japanese convenience stores under the name (i.e., "
pudding Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, inst ...
"), or ''custard pudding''. The same kind of dessert is sold in convenience stores in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
.


Malaysia

Caramel custard is a very popular dessert in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
. First introduced by the Portuguese in the 16th century and sold year-round today, this dessert is popular served in restaurants, cafes, hotels, and even
Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
bazaars for breaking the fast.


Mexico

Flan is extremely popular in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
, being made at home, found pre-made at grocery stores, served in restaurants, and even vended on the streets. A variation of the dish called ''Flan Napolitano'' is made in some parts of Mexico where cream cheese is added to create a creamier consistency, though it is not as popular or wide spread. Flan's popularity among Mexican-Americans helped the dish become popular in the United States. Another variation is "Flan de Cajeta" which replaces the standard caramel with cajeta (milk caramel with a base of goat milk).


Peru

In
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, ''crema volteada'' 'flipped cream' may use condensed rather than regular milk. Fruit may also be added, such as lucuma, custard apple,
soursop Soursop (also called ''graviola, guyabano'', and in Hispanic America, ''guanábana'') is the fruit of ''Annona muricata'', a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree. It is native to the tropical regions of the Americas and the Caribbean and is wi ...
, or granadilla.


Philippines

In the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, flan is known as ''leche'' flan (the local term for the originally Spanish ''flan de leche'', literally "milk ''flan''"), which is a heavier version of the Spanish dish, made with condensed milk and more egg yolks. ''Leche'' flan is usually steamed over an open flame or stove top in an oval-shaped tin mold known as ''llanera'' (also spelled ''lyanera'') which is also used to make hardinera, although rarely it can also be baked. ''Leche'' flan is a staple dessert in celebratory feasts. An even heavier version, called ''tocino de cielo'' or ''tocino del cielo'' (Spanish for "heaven's bacon"), is similar, but has significantly more egg yolks and sugar. ''Leche'' flan is also commonly baked into pastries. The most common is the Filipino dessert flan cake or ''leche'' flan cake, a Filipino chiffon or sponge cake with a layer of ''leche'' flan on top. It can similarly be baked into steamed cupcakes known as '' puto mamón'', a combination known as ''
puto flan ''Puto'' is a Filipino steamed rice cake, traditionally made from slightly fermented rice dough (''galapong''). It is eaten as is or as an accompaniment to a number of savoury dishes (most notably, '' dinuguan''). ''Puto'' is also an umbrella ...
''.


Portugal

Known as ''Pudim flan'', made with milk, eggs, caramelized sugar, and vanilla. Variations include orange or lemon zest,
cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus '' Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakf ...
, pineapple, Port wine, or even
bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...
as is the case with Pudim Abade de Priscos. It characteristically has a hole in the center.


Puerto Rico

Most Puerto Rican flans are based on eggs and milk. Egg white and egg yolks are beaten separately with sugar to achieve a light flan. Flan cake is known as ''flancocho'' and has cream cheese added.
Spanish lime ''Melicoccus bijugatus'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalized across the New World tropics including South and Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. Its stone-bearing fruits are edible. It is ...
, piña colada, ''flan de
calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to what is also known as the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, ...
'', sesame seed milk, and
breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of '' Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Phil ...
. All are uniquely Puerto Rican.


Vietnam

Crème caramel was introduced by the French and is common in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...
. It is known as ''bánh lăng'', ''caramen'', or ''kem caramel'' in northern Vietnam or ''bánh flan'' or ''kem flan'' in southern Vietnam. Variations include serving with black coffee poured on top, or browning the caramel past typical caramelization point to make a darker, more bitter "burnt caramel".


See also

* Crème brûlée, custard with a hard caramel layer on top * Leche asada * Pudim Abade de Priscos, a rich Portuguese variant * Rožata


References


External links

* Alan Davidson, ''The Oxford Companion to Food'', 1999. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Creme Caramel Custard desserts World cuisine French desserts Spanish desserts Portuguese desserts Italian desserts Croatian desserts Latin American cuisine Caribbean cuisine Indian desserts Malaysian desserts Vietnamese desserts Philippine desserts Japanese desserts and sweets