A palmier (, from French, short for ''feuille de palmier'' 'palm tree leaf'), pig's ear, palm heart, or elephant ear is a French

pastry Pastry is baked food made with a dough of flour, water and shortening (solid fats, including butter or lard) that may be savoury or sweetened. Sweetened pastries are often described as '' bakers' confectionery''. The word "pastries" suggests ma ...

in a palm leaf shape or a butterfly shape, sometimes called ''palm leaves'', ''cœur de France'', ''French hearts'', ''shoe-soles'', or ''glasses'' that was invented in the beginning of the 20th century.

Preparation

Palmiers are made from

puff pastry Puff pastry, also known as ', is a flaky light pastry made from a laminated dough composed of dough (') and butter or other solid fat ('). The butter is put inside the dough (or vice versa), making a ' that is repeatedly folded and rolled out befo ...

, a

laminated dough Laminated dough is a culinary preparation consisting of many thin layers of dough separated by butter, produced by repeated folding and rolling. Such doughs may contain more than eighty layers. During baking, water in the butter vaporizes and exp ...

similar to the dough used for

croissant A croissant is a buttery, flaky, Austrian viennoiserie pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian kipferl but using the French yeast-leavened laminated dough. Croissants are named for their historical crescent shape, the dough is layered wi ...

, but without

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

. The puff pastry is rolled out, coated with sugar, and then the two sides are rolled up together so that they meet in the middle, making a roll that is then cut into about slices and baked. Usually it is rolled in sugar before

baking Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferred " ...

Varieties

Known as palmeras in Spain, in the Puerto Rican version, they are topped with honey. In

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and other Latin American countries they are known as ''orejas'' (ears). In China, they are known as butterfly pastries. In Greece they are usually known as little glasses (''γυαλάκια''). In Germany they're called pig's ears (''Schweineohren''); in Italy ''Prussiane'' (derisively after the ostensibly large ears of Prussian invaders); in Switzerland ''Prussiens'' or ''cœur de France''. In

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

and Valencia they are called ''ulleres'' (eyeglasses) or ''palmeras''. 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") , i ...

they are called ''palmeras'' (palm trees), and they can be topped with coconut or chocolate. In England, they are called ''little hearts'' and ''sweet hearts''. In Scotland "pigs ears" or "pigs lugs". In Pakistan they are called French Hearts. In

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

since 1965, they are called ''Genji Pie''. In India they are known as elephant ears or french hearts. An ''arlette'' is a

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, breakfa ...

-flavoured palmier biscuit.

References

French pastries Argentine cuisine Catalan cuisine Portuguese desserts Spanish desserts Mexican desserts {{dessert-stub

Preparation

Varieties

See also

References