An old controversy still stirs the world of gastronomy: on which side of the Pyrenees did the crème brûlée that we know today originate?

In the program "Historically yours", on Europe 1, Olivier Poels leans with relish on the roots of this dish which always knows how to make its place on the dessert table.

It's a debate that has raged for decades: did crème brûlée originate in France or Spain, more specifically in Catalonia?

If we look at the writings, it is Spain that seems to prevail, because the first traces of this dish date back to 1324 in what is one of the first cookbooks in the world,

Le

Libre de Sent Sovi.

, a collection of medieval recipes.

There is the recipe for Catalan cream, very similar to our crème brûlée, explains Olivier Poels in the program

Historically yours

, on Europe 1.

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The difference ?

Caramelization 

But the version that we know dates back to the 17th century: François Massialot, the Duc d'Orléans' mouth officer who prepared Catalan creams, wanted to heat them up by passing a very hot iron over the top.

The sugar on the surface has caramelized.

It is this point that differentiates our crème brûlée from its Spanish version, in addition to the fact that Catalan cream contains milk and starch.

François Massialot also published the recipe in the Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois, his reference work published in 1692.

Beyond the historical and culinary controversy, our columnist Olivier Poels invites you to make your own crème brûlée, while waiting for the long-awaited reopening of the restaurants in a few weeks.

Also a few months ago, Marion Sauveur offered you her Picodon-based crème brûlée recipe.

The recipe for a classic crème brûlée

Ingredients for 4 persons :

- 4 egg yolks


- 50 g of sugar


- 40 cl of liquid cream


- 10 cl of milk


- 1 vanilla bean


- 4 tbsp of brown sugar

The steps of the recipe:

1.

 Bring the milk to a boil

2.

 Scrape the vanilla pod and put the beans to infuse for 20 min.

3.

 Mix the egg yolks and the sugar

4.

 Add cream and milk

5.

 Pour into ramekins and bake in an oven at 120 ° for 50 min.

6.

 Add the brown sugar and pass the flame of a blowtorch to caramelize it.