What is the history behind the dessert Flan?!
Answers: Any thing would help:) I am bringing It to class and was woundering what the history was:) Thanks alot!!
History of Flan
Flan is found in recipes as far back as ancient Rome. It was during Roman times that domesticated chickens were first kept for laying eggs. The Romans, with eggs in surplus, and consulting the Greek's knowledge of the art of cooking, developed new recipes, one of which turned out to be a custardly concoction known as flan. It was orignally a savory dish (not sweet, but aromatic and pleasing to the palate). The Romans concocted many dishes that we might find interesting, such as eel flan. They also had a very nice sweet flan that was flavored with honey.
The Roman Empire was destined to fall and on its ruins arose Medeival society. Yet the transition between ancient times and Medeival - though often violent - was somewhat contiguous. Flan survived barbarian invasions (and perhaps pacified a barbarian or two). It surfaced as a generally sweet dish but still based on the old idea of mixing creme and eggs to form a custard. Our word for flan actually is derived from the Latin, "flado" (meaning flat cake), which became "flaon" in Old French.
Interestingly, flan found two different outlets. In Spain it became a sweet custard generally made with caramelized sugar. The mixture of milk, eggs and sugar was cooked slowly in crocks and relished by many. Besides the Roman influence, the Moors introduced citrus and almonds which are commonly found to flavor flan. Once Christopher Columbus found America the rush to the riches of the region brought the richness of flan with it. Nearly all of Central and South America loves flan in its various custardly forms. It has become especially associated with Mexico where flan is exquisitely produced in the kitchens of rich and poor alike.
England, with its love for pastry crusts, went its own way and developed a different kind of flan. This one makes use of a pastry shell with an open top filled with custard and often mixed with nuts or fruit. This is the flan that is often mentioned in the literature of England and gets high marks in Brian Jacques's Redwall series. The characters there make and "scoff" several flans in every volume of delightful adventure.
There is some dispute about how the word "flan" is pronounced. This is easily sorted out, as the English flan is pronounced to rhyme with "plan", while the Spanish or Mexican style flan is pronounced more like "faun". With modern innovations there are now flan recipes to suit every taste, Spanish and English, savory or sweet.
Flan Molds
Flan molds are de riguer for making Spanish style flan. What is needed is basically a smooth sided dish that can safely be baked. Some people prefer to make several serving-sized flans so that each guest at table gets their own seperate self-contained dessert. Yet a good sized flan can make a beautiful presentation.
Flan dishes may be made of glass, pyrex, porcellain, stainless steel and even have a non-stick teflon coating, though we do not recommend teflon. The key is to have the inside of the dish be smooth so that the flan drops easilly out of the pan in one piece when the dish is turned over onto a plate. Some dishes even come with a lid and a bain marie (which is a kind of water bath that evens out the cooking process) that allows flan to be made on the stove top. As for results, all types will do a good job. The key to good flan is precision in following instructions and meticulousness in attention to the process. What this means is watching the flan closely to remove it from the heat when it is done. You will know that the flan is ready when an inserted knife comes out clean.
English flan, with its flaky crust, generally requires a different style pan. A heavy metal pan with fluted edges does a wonderful job with this style of pastry. The thick metal allows a smooth and even transfer of heat to the flan. A pan that is not damaged by the use of metal utensils is also prefered. With English style flans presentation of the baking dish can be more important so choose one that reflects your taste. Here again, you may wish to avoid teflon, which does prevent sticking, but which generally mars fairly easily. There have been some health risks associated with teflon, though the studies involved are not difinitive.
Flan is fun stuff to make and to eat. Bakeware is a durable product, so take your time in choosing something that you will enjoy using for many years, especially if you are a fan of flan.
Flan Recipes
There are many kinds of flan, savory, sweet, Spanish and English, and each one of these classifications claims many recipes. Each recipe has something to recommend it, that makes it a unique taste. Some have stories behind them. We have made the effort to test many of these recipes in our own kitchens. The results have been universally praised. No matter how much you like flan, when you are making one after another, it is expedient to give one or two away.
Ancient Rome saw the earliest flans. The Tyropatinam still holds up today.
Basic Spanish Flan is the starting point upon which some very elaborate flans can be based.
A nice variation of the Spanish Flan is Coffee Flan or what might be termed flan de cafe!
Cheese Flan has some of the eclat of cheese cake, yet a refined texture makes it a step up (if possible).
Asparagus Flan is a fine example of a savory flan. Great for service at dinner parties.
English Spinach Flan points up the very real differences between the Spanish and English styles of cooking.
English Custard Flan has some of the elements of Spanish style flan, but adds a unique crust.
For the ultimate cultural experience try Chocolate Flan using real Mexican chocolate
History of Flan
Flan is found in recipes as far back as ancient Rome. It was during Roman times that domesticated chickens were first kept for laying eggs. The Romans, with eggs in surplus, and consulting the Greek's knowledge of the art of cooking, developed new recipes, one of which turned out to be a custardly concoction known as flan. It was orignally a savory dish (not sweet, but aromatic and pleasing to the palate). The Romans concocted many dishes that we might find interesting, such as eel flan. They also had a very nice sweet flan that was flavored with honey.
The Roman Empire was destined to fall and on its ruins arose Medeival society. Yet the transition between ancient times and Medeival - though often violent - was somewhat contiguous. Flan survived barbarian invasions (and perhaps pacified a barbarian or two). It surfaced as a generally sweet dish but still based on the old idea of mixing creme and eggs to form a custard. Our word for flan actually is derived from the Latin, "flado" (meaning flat cake), which became "flaon" in Old French.
Interestingly, flan found two different outlets. In Spain it became a sweet custard generally made with caramelized sugar. The mixture of milk, eggs and sugar was cooked slowly in crocks and relished by many. Besides the Roman influence, the Moors introduced citrus and almonds which are commonly found to flavor flan. Once Christopher Columbus found America the rush to the riches of the region brought the richness of flan with it. Nearly all of Central and South America loves flan in its various custardly forms. It has become especially associated with Mexico where flan is exquisitely produced in the kitchens of rich and poor alike.
England, with its love for pastry crusts, went its own way and developed a different kind of flan. This one makes use of a pastry shell with an open top filled with custard and often mixed with nuts or fruit. This is the flan that is often mentioned in the literature of England and gets high marks in Brian Jacques's Redwall series. The characters there make and "scoff" several flans in every volume of delightful adventure.
There is some dispute about how the word "flan" is pronounced. This is easily sorted out, as the English flan is pronounced to rhyme with "plan", while the Spanish or Mexican style flan is pronounced more like "faun". With modern innovations there are now flan recipes to suit every taste, Spanish and English, savory or sweet.
Here is an article on it:
You may want to pass out recipe cards too!