穿越古今的奶油泡芙

Jeanne+Grunert

奶油泡芙，一種可以让你一口吞下的美味，从中世纪到现代，从宫廷到民间，它穿越而来，带着哪些故事呢？

The Mystery of the History of Cream Puffs

Many cooks and pastry chefs passed recipes along by word of mouth. Recipes might be called one thing in France and another in England， one thing in the queen&apos；s kitchen and another in the mayor&apos；s. This makes it difficult to trace the history of cream puffs and mixes myth with fact.

One myth surrounding the history of cream puffs is that they were invented by Catherine de Medici&apos；s cook. Catherine de Medici， daughter of the famous Renaissance Italian family of Medicis， was the queen of France. Legends surrounding the history of the cream puff credit Catherine&apos；s cook at the royal court of France with inventing this tasty dessert. Because Catherine was a patroness1） of the arts， many assume that her high taste in art ran to high art in the kitchen.

Unfortunately， this myth is probably just that—a myth. While Catherine most certainly enjoyed delicate pastries， her cook did not invent puff pastries nor did he invent the cream puff. The ancestor of the cream puff can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

Cheese Pastries

Long before Catherine de Medici&apos；s cook set foot on French soil， cooks during the 13th century in southern Germany and France had created puff pastries filled with rich cheese mixtures. Pastry dough was cooked in a hot oven until it puffed， then sliced open and cheese inserted. The warm pastry melted the cheese center. Herbs were often added for additional flavoring.

French Pastry

During the same time Catherine was queen in Renaissance France， pastry chefs throughout France and England had begun to experiment with dough mixtures of flour， water， fat and egg. The mixture goes by the name choux pastry2）. It&apos；s a simple mixture with delightful results： when it puffs， it creates an airy hole in the center which can be filled with sweet or savory filling.

Recipes for cream buns3） called pate feuillettée in France and butter pasted puffs in England circulated from cook to cook by at least the early 1500&apos；s. These buns used the same basic dough of pastry flour， water， egg and fat. They were baked into cakes about three or four inches long. After baking in the oven， they were removed and basted4） with a mixture of rosewater and sugar or lemon and stuck together to form a layered pastry. The entire pastry was then coated in another layer of sugar and lemon or rosewater flavoring. While not exactly resembling today&apos；s puffed and creamy delight， these desserts were much admired and sought after by the nobles and wealthy people of the day. They were an important step on the road to today&apos；s cream puff.

Mixture of Terms and Recipes

The mystery of the true history of puffs deepens thanks to the many terms used to describe puffed pastry. While the basic four-ingredient recipe remains the same， how the ingredients are prepared and baked led to many names—choux， puff， profiterole5） and buns. By the 17th century， the pastry recipe was commonly referred to as a choux recipe， because the buns it made resembled cabbages6）. The French word for cabbage is choux. 奶油泡芙的神秘歷史

在过去，许多厨师和糕点师都以口耳相传的方式传承制作配方。同一个制作配方可能在法国是这个名字，在英国却是另一个名字；在女王的厨房里叫这个，在市长的厨房里却叫那个。这就导致了追溯奶油泡芙的历史并不容易，也让事实与谣传混杂在了一起。

有关奶油泡芙的历史中有一种说法认为，它是由凯瑟琳·德·梅第奇的厨师发明的。凯瑟琳·德·梅第奇是文艺复兴时期意大利著名的梅第奇家族的千金，也是法国的王后。有关奶油泡芙历史的一些传说认为是凯瑟琳在法国宫廷的御用厨师发明了这种美味的甜点。由于凯瑟琳资助过很多种艺术活动，所以许多人想当然地认为她既然艺术品位高雅，内厨的手艺也会相当精湛。

遗憾的是，这个说法可能只是个虚构的故事而已。虽然凯瑟琳很可能享用过美味的油酥糕点，但她的厨师既没有发明千层酥皮，也没有发明奶油泡芙。奶油泡芙的前身可以追溯到中世纪。

奶酪酥皮

早在凯瑟琳·德·梅第奇的厨师来到法国之前，德国南部和法国的厨师在13世纪就发明了里面填满浓郁奶酪混合物的千层酥皮。厨师将油酥面团放入高温烤箱里烘烤直至其膨胀，然后把它切开塞入奶酪。温热的油酥糕点融化了塞入其中的奶酪。各类香草也经常添加其中以获得不同的口味。

法式甜馅饼

就在凯瑟琳在文艺复兴时期的法国当王后的期间，法国和英格兰各地的糕点师也已经开始用由面粉、水、油脂和鸡蛋混合而成的面团做起了实验。这种混合物被称为“choux pastry”。它是一种简单的混合物，却能产生喜人的效果：它膨胀后，中间会产生一个气洞，可以塞入香甜味美的内馅。

奶油小面包在法国被称作千层酥派，在英格兰则被称为黄油千层酥皮，其制作配方至少在16世纪初期就已经开始在厨师之间口耳相传了。制作这类小面包都需要使用由糕点粉、水、鸡蛋和油脂混合而成的基础面团。这种面团会被做成长约3～4英寸的饼胚，经烤箱烘烤之后，这些饼胚被取出来，在表面涂上一层玫瑰水和糖或柠檬汁的混合液，然后黏合到一起，形成多层的油酥糕点。那么，这整块糕点会被裹上一层含有糖和柠檬汁或玫瑰水的调味汁。尽管这种甜点和现如今蓬松、奶油般丝滑的泡芙不尽相同，但在当时它们却备受贵族和富人们的喜爱和追捧。这是奶油泡芙发展至今所历经的重要一步。

混杂的术语和制作配方

过去用来描述千层酥皮的术语众多，得益于此，泡芙的真实历史变得更加神秘。泡芙的基础配方包含四种原料，尽管这种配方现在还是如此，但原料准备和烘焙方式上的差异却使得泡芙拥有了各式各样的名字——泡芙酥皮、泡芙、酥皮小圆饼以及小圆面包。到17世纪，酥皮糕点的制作配方通常指的是制作泡芙酥皮的配方，因为做出来的小圆面包很像卷心菜。而在法语中，“泡芙酥皮”一词就是卷心菜的意思。

Profiteroles or Cream Puffs

By the 19th century， the various types of puff pastries had developed their own following. Now each name took on distinctive meaning and characteristics. The dessert known and loved as the cream puff became known in pastry circles as the profiterole. There was still some leeway7） in the creation of the dessert. What you ordered in one French restaurant called a profiterole might taste very different than a similarly named dessert in England.

The Art of the Cream Puff

By the mid-19th century in both France and England， the cream puff had become known as the profiterole. Cream puffs were often created in elaborate shapes by skilled pastry chefs. Elegant Victorian diners could find them shaped like swans or pyramids8） of tiny， fragile chocolate or vanilla-filled puffs to nibble9） on with the dessert wine， tea or coffee. In the United States， the first recorded mention of the cream puff on a restaurant menu dates to 1851 at the Revere House Restaurant in Boston.

Cream Puffs Today

The humble cream puff had come a long way from the kitchens of the 13th century as a cheese-filled pastry to the darling of the Victorian dining room. What was once the purview10） of royalty now became a bakery aisle staple11）. You can even buy frozen cream puffs at most supermarkets. There&apos；s even a chain of cream puff bakeries called Beard Papa&apos；s， with 300 stores worldwide. But nothing beats the taste of a home baked， fresh from the oven puff pastry filled with sweet cream. Bite into one and imagine you&apos；re back at the French royal court， or sitting among the elegant diners at the Revere House Restaurant. Although the origins remain a mystery， the taste answers all questions： it&apos；s simply divine.

酥皮小圓饼或奶油泡芙

到19世纪，各种各样的千层酥皮都有了各自的喜爱者。此时的每个名字都还有了独特的意义和特点。为人熟知且喜爱的奶油泡芙在油酥糕点的圈子里被称为酥皮小圆饼。但是这道甜点在制作上还存在着一些差距。你在法国餐厅里点的酥皮小圆饼可能和英格兰餐厅里一道名字类似的甜点在味道上完全不同。

奶油泡芙的艺术

到19世纪中期，奶油泡芙在法国和英格兰都被称为酥皮小圆饼。技艺精湛的面点师经常会将泡芙制作成精巧的形状。维多利亚时期优雅的食客们会发现它们看上去就像是微型的天鹅或者金字塔，里面填满了精致的巧克力或香草味的馅料，可以搭配甜点酒、茶或者咖啡来细细品尝。在美国，最早有据可查提及奶油泡芙的餐厅菜单出现在1851年波士顿的列维尔之家餐厅里。

奶油泡芙的今生

从13世纪厨房里填满奶酪的酥皮糕点到维多利亚时期餐厅里的宠儿，低调的奶油泡芙历经了漫漫长路。曾经只属于王室的甜点现如今俨然成为面包店货架上的主打商品。你还可以在大多数超市买到冷冻的奶油泡芙。甚至还有一家名为“贝儿多爸爸的泡芙工房”的奶油泡芙连锁店在全球开了300家门店。然而什么都不如家里现做的、从烤箱里刚取出来并填满香甜奶油的千层酥皮美味。咬上一口，想象自己回到了法国宫廷，抑或是坐在列维尔之家餐厅优雅的食客之中。尽管奶油泡芙的起源依然是一个谜，但它的味道却回答了一切疑问：它就是好吃极了！

1. patroness [?pe?tr?n?es] n. 女资助人

2. choux pastry： （= choux）做奶油酥皮点心的面团；泡芙酥皮

3. bun [b?n] n. 奶油小（圆）面包，小（圆）果子面包

4. baste [be?st] vt. （烹饪时往肉上）浇汁

5. profiterole [pr??f?t?r??l] n. 甜（或咸）空心馅小圆饼

6. cabbage [?k?b?d?] n. 甘蓝，卷心菜

7. leeway [?li?we?] n. （要拼命努力工作才能弥合的）差距

8. pyramid [?p?r?m?d] n. （古埃及的）金字塔；角锥状物，角锥形

9. nibble [?n?bl] vi. 小口地吃

10. purview [?p??vju?] n. 范围

11. staple [?ste?pl] n. 主要产品，主要商品