A (, "thousand-sheets"),
[The name is also written as and .] also known by the names Napoleon, vanilla slice, and custard slice, is a dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by
Marie-Antoine Carême.
Traditionally, a is made up of three layers of
puff pastry (), alternating with two layers of
pastry cream (). The top pastry layer is finished in various ways: sometimes it is topped with whipped cream, or it may be dusted with icing sugar, cocoa, pastry crumbs, or sliced
almonds. It may also be glazed with
icing or
fondant alone, or in alternating white (icing) and
brown (chocolate) or other colored icing stripes, and
combed to create a marbled effect.
History
All the elements of the recipe are present in numerous cookbooks since at least the 16th century, but the exact origin of the is unknown.
According to the ''Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets'', recipes from 17th century French and 18th century English cookbooks are a precursor to
layer cakes.
The earliest mention of the name itself appears in 1733 in an English-language cookbook written by French chef
Vincent La Chapelle
Vincent La Chapelle (1690 or 1703 – 14th of July 1745 in Apeldoorn) was a French master cook who is known to have worked for Phillip Dormer Stanhope ( 4th Earl of Chesterfield), William IV, Prince of Orange, John V of Portugal and Queen Marie ...
. The 18th century was served stuffed with jam and marmalade instead of cream.
In French, the first mention of the appears a little later, in 1749, in a cookbook by
Menon:
To make a cake, you take puff pastry, make out of it five cakes of equal size, & of the thickness of two coins, in the last one you shall make a hole in the middle in the shape of a Knight's cross, regarding the size you will base yourself on the dish that you will use for service, bake them in the oven. When they are baked & cooled, stack them one on the other, the one with the hole on top, & jams between every cake, entence unclear, maybe referring to covering all sides with jam& ice them everywhere with white icing so that they appear to be a single piece; you can embellish it with some red currant jelly, candied lemon skins & pistachio, you serve them on a plate.
The word is not used again in the recipe books of the 18th century. However, under the reign of
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
, several of the fanciest Parisian pastry shops appear to have sold the cake. During the 19th century, all recipes describe the cake as filled with jam, with the exception of the 1876 recipe by
Urbain Dubois, where it is served with
Bavarian cream.
According to
Alan Davidson in the ''
Oxford Companion to Food'', the invention of the form (but not of the pastry itself) is usually attributed to
Szeged,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, where a caramel-coated is called .
Composition
Traditionally, a is made up of three layers of puff pastry and two layers of . The top layer is coated with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. In later variations, the top is glazed with icing, in alternating white (icing) and brown (chocolate) strips, and then combed. Today, there are also
savory
Savory or Savoury may refer to:
Common usage
* Herbs of the genus ''Satureja'', particularly:
** Summer savory (''Satureja hortensis''), an annual herb, used to flavor food
** Winter savory (''Satureja montana''), a perennial herb, also used to ...
, with
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...
and
spinach
Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed eith ...
or other savory fillings.
It is often layered with fruits, most commonly strawberry and raspberry.
Variations
According to La Varenne, it was earlier called ("cake of a thousand sheets"), referring to the many layers of pastry. Using traditional puff pastry, made with six folds of three layers, it has 729 layers; with some modern recipes it may have as many as 2,048.
In France, the pastry called Napoleon is made with two joined layers of filled with
frangipane.
Australia/New Zealand
In
Australia, a variant of the is the custard slice, also known as the
vanilla slice. It is made using a
gelatin
Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
-set , and in many cases,
passionfruit icing. "French Vanilla slice" refers to a similar product without fondant icing. In
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
, it is variously known as a 'custard slice', a 'custard square', a 'vanilla slice', or, with passion-fruit icing, a 'passion-fruit slice'.
Balkan countries
A similar local variety is called in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...
and
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
, or in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
and
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 =
, capit ...
, and in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
.
Belgium and the Netherlands
In
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, the or is the equivalent pastry. Several variations exist in Belgium, but in the Netherlands it has achieved an almost iconic status, with very little variation seen in form, size, ingredients and colour (always two layers of pastry, nearly always pink glazing, but orange around national festivities). The cartoon character
Tom Puss by
Marten Toonder is named after the .
Canada
In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, is often named , or 'Napoleon slice' in English Canada. It is sold either with custard, whipped cream, or both, between three layers of puff pastry;
almond paste is the most common filling. A French Canadian method of making a sees it made with
graham cracker
A graham cracker (pronounced or in America) is a sweet flavored cracker made with graham flour that originated in the United States in the mid-19th century, with commercial development from about 1880. It is eaten as a snack food, usually ho ...
s instead of puff pastry, with pudding replacing the custard layer.
German varieties
In the German speaking part of
Switzerland and also in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, it is called . In
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
it is known by a variation of that name, ().
Greece
In
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
, the pastry is called , a transcription of the word using the
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as ...
. The filling between the layers is cream whereas Chantilly cream is used at the top of the pastry.
Hong Kong
In
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, the (, 'Napoleon') is layered with
buttercream,
meringue and walnuts. In
Mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater Chin ...
, a similar product also marketed as a Napoleon (, or more commonly, ) varies between regions and individual bakeries, but usually features a top and bottom layer of
rough puff pastry
Rough may refer to:
* Roughness (disambiguation)
* Rough (golf), the area outside the fairway on a golf course Geography
* Rough (facility), former gas field now gas storage facility, off the Yorkshire coast of England People
* Alan Rough (born 1 ...
, typically made with vegetable
shortening
Shortening is any fat that is a solid at room temperature and used to make crumbly pastry and other food products. Although butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used in making pastry, the term ''shortening'' seldom refers to ...
rather than butter, and a
sponge cake and artificial buttercream filling.
Hungary
In
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, it is called . One version, the (French Napoleon), is topped with whipped cream and caramel.
Italy
In
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, the is known as the , and contains similar fillings. A savory Italian version consists of puff pastry filled with
spinach
Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed eith ...
,
cheese
Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...
or
pesto, among other things. Another important distinction of the Italian variety is that it often consists of a layer of puff pastry with layers of sponge cake as well (e.g. from bottom to top, puff pastry, sponge cake strawberries and cream and then puff pastry).
Iran
In
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
, the pastry is called (, literally "Napoleonic sweet pastry"). It consists of thin puff pastry and often topped with powdered sugar.
Lithuania
In
Lithuanian tradition, Napoleon or is quite similar to Russian Napoleon. The recipe varies slightly as Lithuanians add layers of fruit filling such as apricots. It is often associated with weddings or celebrations and often given as gifts.
North Africa
In
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...
, and
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, religi ...
, are consumed regularly and are known by their French name.
Philippines
In
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 ...
, they are called ( , ; in the singular), and are made of two to three layers, with pastry cream or white custard as filling, topped with sugar glaze. It is a popular specialty on
Negros Island, especially in
Silay City, and can be bought as by many who visit the island.
Poland
In
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
, the local variant of the pastry is officially called , and less commonly . It consists of two layers of pastry separated by a thick cream layer. The whole pastry is then covered with powdered sugar.
Russia
In
Russian literature, a cake named 'Napoleon' (russian: Наполеон) is first mentioned as early as in the first half of the 19th century.
[''«Вонзаете вилку в сладкий пирог и - его имя Наполеон!»'' из стать]
«Клятва при гробе Господнем. Русская быль XV века. Сочинения Н. Полевого. 1832»
А. А. Бестужев-Марлинский. 1833. -''Stick a fork in a sweet cake, and its name is Napoleon!'' from the article ''Oath at the Holy Sepulchre. Russian true stories in the 15th century. Works by N. Polevoy. 1832''. Alexander Bestuzhev. 1833. Alexander Bestuzhev explained the emergence of such names by the
romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
and
historicist spirit of that time.
The cake has enjoyed an especially great popularity since the centenary celebration of the Russian victory over Napoleon in the
Patriotic War of 1812
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
. During the celebrations in 1812, triangular-shape pastries were sold resembling the
bicorne. The many layers of the cake symbolized
La Grande Armée. The top is covered by pastry crumbs symbolizing the
snow of Russia which helped the Russians defeat Napoleon. Later, the cake became a standard dessert in the
Soviet cuisine. Nowadays, the Napoleon remains one of the most popular cakes in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. It typically has more layers than the French archetype, but the same height.
South Africa
In
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
and
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
, it is called a 'custard slice'.
Spain
In the
Spanish , the puff pastry is thin and crunchy. They are often far deeper than solely three layers of pastry and can reach up to tall.
In the central regions, "milhojas" usually have only two or three layers of puff pastry filled with very thick layers of whipped cream or chantilly.
Nordic countries
In
Sweden as well as in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
, the (Napoleon pastry) is a filled with whipped cream, custard, and jam. The top of the pastry is glazed with icing and currant jelly. In
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establishe ...
it is called and in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, both meaning 'Napoleon cake'.
United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the pastry is most often called a 'vanilla slice', 'cream slice', or a 'custard slice', but can, on occasion, be named or 'Napoleon' on branded products. It is common in the UK to only use two slices of pastry with a single, thick layer of filling between them.
United States
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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, the pastry is most often called 'Napoleon'. It typically includes three layers of pastry, is filled with pastry cream, and is glazed with icing sugar in a feathered or marbled pattern.
Other
In
Latin American , various layers of puff pastry are layered 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, w ...
and confectioner's sugar on top. A Colombian version of has various layers of puff pastry and pastry cream. It is topped with arequipe (dulce de leche).
See also
*
List of custard desserts
*
List of Russian desserts
*
List of French desserts
*
Galaktoboureko
Galaktoboureko ( el, γαλακτομπούρεκο, tr, Laz böreği, ar, شعيبيات, lzz, Paponi) is a Greek, Turkish, Laz, and Syrian dessert of semolina custard baked in filo. Turkish ''Laz böreği'' is made with a type of puddin ...
*
Börek
Notes
References
https://parsiday.com/5766-napoleon-pastry/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mille-Feuille
Custard desserts
French pastries
Napoleon
Puff pastry
Soviet cuisine
Argentine cuisine
Australian desserts
British pastries
Canadian desserts
Greek pastries
Hong Kong desserts
Hungarian pastries
Italian pastries
Russian pastries
Lithuanian desserts
Moroccan pastry
Polish desserts
South African cuisine
Swedish pastries
Serbian cuisine
Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine
Slovenian cuisine
Croatian cuisine
New Zealand desserts
American desserts