［French Bakery Secrets］What’s in a name? Origin of the pastry term “Charlotte”
[法式烘焙奥秘]“夏洛特”蛋糕名字的来源
SYB offers classes that make authentic French bakery accessible to beginner bakers. But for many recipes, to understand baking culture, look no further than the name of the recipe itself. A representative example in culinary history is the Charlotte, a recipe featured in SYB’s baking class on April 11th.
海上青焙坊的对外公开课可以手把手教你制作正宗法式面包和西点。但是想要真正了解法国烘焙文化，还是得从配方的命名开始。许多法国美食的名字背后都有着有趣的历史，比如4月11日公开课要教你做的“夏洛特”蛋糕。
So who is Charlotte? A survey of culinary etymology reveals a surprisingly complex history behind the custard dessert cake. There are actually a few different kinds of Charlotte desserts, all which have their own “predecessors”.
夏洛特是谁？人们发现，这款蛋奶沙司甜品蛋糕背后的历史惊人的复杂。事实上，不同的“夏洛特”有着各自不同的“祖先”。
The traditional Charlotte cakes, as well as the apple Charlotte, a popular variation on the recipe, are allegedly named after Queen Charlotte of England (1744-1818), who was a large supporter of apple growers in the region. In the 18th century, French Chef Marie Antoine Careme invented the Charlotte Russe, a cold custard filled cake surrounded by lady fingers. Russe which is French for “Russian,” was added on as a tribute to the chef’s Russian employer, Czar Alexander I. But regardless of the dessert’s famous patrons, some claim that Charlotte simply evolved from the Old English term charlyt, the general name for a custard dish.
传统夏洛特及其由其演变而来的著名苹果夏洛特，传说以英国乔治三世之妻，夏洛特皇后（1744-1818）命名的，因为夏洛特皇后十分支持英国的苹果种植。在18世纪，法国名厨马利·安东尼·卡莱梅（Marie Antoine Careme）发明了一种中间是冷冻蛋奶沙司（custard），周围是手指饼（lady fingers）的蛋糕，并取名为“夏洛特·鲁斯”以致敬他的俄国老板Czar Alexander I。“鲁斯”在法文中是“俄国”的意思。但是也有人说，“夏洛特”只是源自一个古老的英语单词charlyt，意为 “蛋奶沙司食物” 。
Regardless of where the name comes from, the Charlotte is an authentic French pastry that can be adapted with different flavors and fruits, making it a great addition to one of our first baking classes of the spring season. SYB’s May public baking class will take on another famous “female” dessert, the Madeleine, which has an equally rich history.
“夏洛特”名字真正的源头是什么，我们不得而知。其名字的奥秘使它更添魅力和历史感，法国人将其视为法国蛋糕的经典。如今的人们不断的把这种传统法式西点配合不同时令水果做成不同口味。SYB也趁着这个4月教大家制作水果香草夏洛特！而5月，我们将推出另一款以女性命名的甜品——“玛德琳”蛋糕。
To register for our public baking classes or learn more about Shanghai Young Bakers, email baking@shanghaiyoungbakers.com or call 136 8168 7194.
如欲咨询了解我们的对外烘焙课程，请发送邮件至baking@shanghaiyoungbakers.com或致电136 8168 7194。