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The meaning of "La Gourmandise"
The term ' la
gourmandise' in the French dictionary once meant indulging and eating
too much but its meaning has been refined over the years. These days, it
refers to the pleasures of sharing good food and wine.
The history of "Croissants"
The first production of a Croissant
dates back to 1683. That year, Austria was under siege by the Turkish
Empire. In Vienna, the Turkish assailant found that time was slipping
past and decided to dig an underground tunnel to enter the city. The
Vienna bakers, the majority of whom worked underground, heard noises and
called in the army. The Turks were discovered and retreated.
The bakers were thanked and honored and they decided to make bread in
the shape of a crescent moon (the symbol of the Turkish flag) and the
croissant was born. One hundred years later, Marie Antoinette (Austrian
Princess who married Louis XVI), introduced the croissant to the French
Aristocrats.
It was only at the start of this century that the butter puff croissant
was created, and became the French national product in 1920.
The history of the
"Brioche"
The word brioche first appeared in print in
1404, and this
bread is believed to have sprung from a traditional
Norman
recipe. It is argued that brioche is probably of a Roman origin, since a very
similar sort of sweet holiday bread is made in Romania ("sărălie"). The
cooking method and tradition of using it during big holidays resembles the
culture surrounding the brioche so much that it is difficult to doubt same
origin of both foods. It is often served as a pastry or as the basis of a
dessert, with many local variations in added ingredients, fillings and toppings.
It is also used with savory preparations, particularly with foie gras,
and is used in some meat dishes.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
in his 1783 autobiography Confessions, relates that "a great princess"
is said to have advised, with regard to starving peasants, "S’ils n’ont
plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche", commonly translated as "If
they have no bread, let them eat cake". This saying is commonly mis-attributed
to the ill-fated Queen Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI; it has been
speculated that he was actually referring to Maria Theresa of Spain, the
wife of Louis XIV, or various other aristocrats. |
About Us
Our Breads
Our Pastries
Our Cakes
Our Quiches
Miniatures Pastries
Gourmet Foods
Hors D'Oeuvres
A Little History
Links
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Our Bakery
La Gourmandise was opened on April 19th 1984 few
years after Jean, his wife Francoise and their daughter Jessica immigrated to the US from
La Rochelle, France.
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