Catalan cream (Catalonia): a dessert of medieval origin
Suave, tasty and with a fine crunchy caramelized surface. So is the famous Catalan cream, a sweet that until recently was only made during the holidays. Very typical of Saint Joseph's day (19 of March), this burnt cream is a gift for the palate. This dessert is also one of the oldest in Europe. The first elaborations appear in the medieval recipes of Catalonia. The traditional thing is to present it in a clay container.
Account the legend than, as with many other recipes, the origin of catalan cream is actually due to chance.
A nunnery where they await the arrival of a bishop. The nuns agree to prepare a flan to feast on it but it is not cooked properly and is very liquid. In order not to make the bishop wait, they serve the ‘pseudo’ flan, improvised, with a candy on top. However, despite the mistake, the ‘new dessert’ finally seems to like the guest a lot.
Legend or not, what is undoubted is that this liquid and caramelized cream on its surface became over time one of the most popular desserts in the Catalan community.
