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。……