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See Also: Pastry Wars, Pie Trivia, etc.
PASTRY
Pies, turnovers, strudel and cream puffs, are just a few of the pastries loved the world over. The same basic ingredients, flour, fat and water, are used to make all of them. When combined in different proportions and by varying mixing methods, these basic ingredients make flexible dough’s that can be shaped into practical or decorative shapes to hold a variety of sweet or savory fillings.
The ancient Egyptians fashioned the first crude pastries out of grain meal flavored with honey, fruits and spices. The Greeks and Romans improved on the early recipes, but it was in the Middle East where pastries were developed into something of a culinary art form.
Pastries were first brought to Europe during the Muslim invasion of the 7th century and quickly captured the imagination of European chefs. Their inventive use of pastries reached its zenith during the Renaissance when pies were filled with live rabbits, frogs, and birds for special banquets, just as in the old nursery rhyme “Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.”
Wheat Foods Council www.wheatfoods.org
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