A (; ), also known by the names Napoleon in North America and Post-Soviet countries, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influenced by improvements made by Marie-Antoine Carême.
Traditionally, a is made up of three layers of puff pastry (), alternating with two layers of pastry cream (). The top pastry layer is finished in various ways: sometimes it is topped with whipped cream, or it may be dusted with icing sugar, cocoa, pastry crumbs, or sliced almonds. It may also be glazed with icing or fondant alone, or in alternating white (icing) and brown (chocolate) or other colored icing stripes, and combed to create a marbled effect.
History
According to the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, recipes from 17th century French and 18th century English cookbooks are a precursor to layer cakes.
The earliest mention of the name itself appears in 1733 in an English-language cookbook written by French chef Vincent La Chapelle. The 18th century was served stuffed with jam and marmalade instead of cream.
In French, the first mention of the appears a little later, in 1749, in a cookbook by Menon:
<blockquote>To make a cake, you take puff pastry, make out of it five cakes of equal size, & of the thickness of two coins, in the last one you shall make a hole in the middle in the shape of a Knight's cross, regarding the size you will base yourself on the dish that you will use for service, bake them in the oven. When they are baked & cooled, stack them one on the other, the one with the hole on top, & jams between every cake, [sentence unclear, maybe referring to covering all sides with jam] & ice them everywhere with white icing so that they appear to be a single piece; you can embellish it with some red currant jelly, candied lemon skins & pistachio, you serve them on a plate.</blockquote>
alt=Homemade , using traditional techniques|thumb|upright|Homemade with fresh strawberries
The word is not used again in the recipe books of the 18th century. However, under the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte, several of the fanciest Parisian pastry shops appear to have sold the cake. During the 19th century, all recipes describe the cake as filled with jam, with the exception of the 1876 recipe by Urbain Dubois, where it is served with Bavarian cream.
According to Alan Davidson in the Oxford Companion to Food, the invention of the form (but not of the pastry itself) is usually attributed to Szeged, Hungary, where a caramel-coated is called .
Composition
Traditionally, a is made up of three layers of puff pastry and two layers of . The top layer is coated with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. In later variations, the top is glazed with icing, in alternating white (icing) and brown (chocolate) strips, and then combed.
It is often layered with fruits, most commonly strawberry and raspberry.
Variations
thumb|A pastry with comb icing
thumb|A pastry (Japan)
According to La Varenne, it was earlier called (), referring to the many layers of pastry. Using traditional puff pastry, made with six folds of three layers, it has 729 layers; with some modern recipes it may have as many as 2,048.
In France, the pastry called Napoleon is made with two joined layers of (puff pastry) filled with frangipane.
Argentina and Uruguay
Rogel, a popular cake, the Argentine variant of the French pastry , consists of various layers of puff pastry alternating with layers of dulce de leche and a top glazed with meringue. Rogel is considered a classic, and a wedding cake favourite.
Australia and New Zealand
In Australia, a variant of the is usually known as the vanilla slice. It is made using a gelatin-set , and in many cases, passionfruit icing. "French Vanilla slice" refers to a similar product without fondant icing. In New Zealand, it is variously known as a custard slice, a custard square, a vanilla slice, or, with passion-fruit icing, a passion-fruit slice.
Balkan countries
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A similar local variety is called in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, or in Slovenia and Croatia, in Slovakia, and in Romania.
Belgium and the Netherlands
thumb|left| on the [[King's Day in the Netherlands]]
In Belgium and the Netherlands, the or is the equivalent pastry. Several variations exist in Belgium, but in the Netherlands it has achieved an almost iconic status, with very little variation seen in form, size, ingredients and colour (always two layers of pastry, nearly always pink glazing, but orange around national festivities). The cartoon character Tom Puss by Marten Toonder is named after the .
Canada
In Canada, is often named among French speakers, and "Napoleon slice" in English-speaking Canada. It is sold with either custard, whipped cream, or both between three layers of puff pastry; almond paste is the most common filling. A French Canadian method of making a uses graham crackers instead of puff pastry, with pudding replacing the custard layer.
German varieties
In the German-speaking part of Switzerland and also in Austria, it is called . In Israel it is known by a variation of that name, ().
Greece
In Greece, the pastry is called , a transcription of the word using the Greek alphabet. The filling between the layers is cream whereas whipped cream (a vanilla-infused French Chantilly) is used at the top of the pastry.
Hong Kong
thumb|upright|Hong Kong–style Napoleon pastry
In Hong Kong, the (, "Napoleon") is layered with buttercream, meringue and walnuts. In Mainland China, a similar product also marketed as a Napoleon (, or more commonly, ) varies between regions and individual bakeries, but usually features a top and bottom layer of rough puff pastry, typically made with vegetable shortening rather than butter, and a sponge cake and artificial buttercream filling.
Hungary
In Hungary, it is called . One version, the (French Napoleon), is topped with whipped cream and caramel fondant.
Italy
thumb|Italian filled with pastry cream and garnished with strawberries, shaved chocolate and powdered sugar
In Italy, the is known as the and contains similar fillings. Another important distinction of the Italian variety is that it often consists of a layer of puff pastry with layers of sponge cake as well (e.g. from bottom to top, puff pastry, sponge cake strawberries and cream and then puff pastry).
Iran
In Iran, the pastry is called (, literally "Napoleonic sweet pastry"). It consists of thin puff pastry, rose water, pistachios and whipped saffron cream which is often topped with powdered sugar.
Japan
In Japan both the terms “mille-feuille” and “Napoleon” are used, though they denote different versions of the dessert. The first is pronounced mirufīyu (ミルフィーユ), and usually features two or three layers of puff pastry filled with custard cream and sliced strawberries, and topped with a small amount of the same.
The more extravagant version is known as “Napoleon Pie” (ナポレオンパイ) and features three layers of puff pastry filled with whipped and custard cream with halved strawberries. It is topped with two rows of whole strawberries bordered with piped whipped cream. All four vertical sides are then completely covered with sliced almonds.
Lithuania
In Lithuanian tradition, Napoleon or . In Lithuanian recipe pastry has layers of fruit filling such as wild cranberries jam and crème pâtissière. Sometimes is associated with weddings or celebrations.
Morocco
In Morocco, are consumed regularly and are known by their French name.
Philippines
thumb|[[Bacolod's Napoleones]]
In the Philippines, they are called ( , ; in the singular), and are made of two to three layers, with pastry cream or white custard as filling, topped with sugar glaze. It is a popular specialty on Negros Island especially in Silay City and Bacolod City, and can be bought as by many who visit the island.
Poland
thumb|left|Polish
In Poland, the local variant of the pastry is officially called , and less commonly . It consists of two layers of pastry separated by a thick cream layer. The whole pastry is then covered with powdered sugar.
Portugal
Similar to other European countries, in Portugal the French variation is known as (a direct translation of the French) in the Lisbon region, and as (a transliteration of Napoleon's name) in the centre and north of Portugal. Conversely, in the north, the Russian variant is known as mil-folhas, which in the Lisbon region is usually called (with the meaning of 'Russian') or possibly russo folhado ('Russian pastry'). Both types are common across coffee shops, tea houses, and patisseries in Portugal; the French mille-feuille is even found on some supermarket chains, produced industrially and either individually packaged or as a set.
While the recipe for the Portuguese variant is very consistent with the original French one, both in look, flavour, and size, there are two additional alternatives. The first is just a bigger version of the mille-feuille, with additional layers and probably more cream, being commonly 5–7 cm in height. The second alternative (more common in the regular format) is to tint the white icing sugar with egg gems, thus making it yellow in appearance, but also with the traditional chocolate marble effect. Finally, some places can also offer under the same name a few minor changes, such as a glazed caramel top, slices of almonds, or replacing the puff cream with jam, chantilly cream, or even (quince cheese), although these are uncommon.
Russia
thumb|right|Russian Napoleon cake
In Russian literature, a cake named Napoleon () is first mentioned as early as in the first half of the 19th century. Alexander Bestuzhev explained the emergence of such names by the romantic and historicist spirit of that time.
Later, the cake became a standard dessert in Soviet cuisine. Nowadays, the Napoleon remains one of the most popular cakes in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. It typically has more layers than the French archetype, but the same height.
In popular culture the mille-feuille is referenced as a special treat for Count Rastov in "A Gentleman in Moscow."
South Africa
In South Africa and Zimbabwe, it is called a 'custard slice'.
Spain
In the Spanish , the puff pastry is thin and crunchy. They are often far deeper than solely three layers of pastry and can reach up to tall. In the north of Spain, milhojas are usually filled with creme patissiere and have three or four layers of puff pastry. In central Spain, milhojas usually have only two or three layers of puff pastry filled with very thick layers of whipped cream or Chantilly.
Nordic countries
In Sweden as well as in Finland, the (Napoleon pastry) is a filled with whipped cream, custard, and jam. The top of the pastry is glazed with icing and currant jelly. In Denmark it is called and in Norway , both meaning "Napoleon cake".
United Kingdom
thumb|Vanilla Mille-Feuille with berries onboard the MS Queen AnneIn the United Kingdom, the pastry is most often called a vanilla slice, cream slice. However a custard slice which is often confused with only has a layer of pastry at the bottom and top (which is usually decorated with icing or fruit and icing sugar or all 3, but can, on occasion, be named or Napoleon on branded products. It is common in the UK to only use two slices of pastry with a single, thick layer of filling between them, and the filling may be pastry cream or sometimes whipped cream.
United States
In the United States, the pastry is most often called a Napoleon. It typically includes three layers of pastry, is filled with pastry cream, and is glazed with icing sugar in a feathered or marbled pattern.
Other
thumb|Latin-style Napoleon dessert made at a Mexican bakery in Sonoma, California
In Latin American , various layers of puff pastry are layered with confectioner's sugar on top. A Colombian version of has various layers of puff pastry and pastry cream. It is topped with arequipe (dulce de leche).
See also
- List of custard desserts
- List of French desserts
Notes
References
External links
- طرز تهیه شیرینی ناپلئونی خانگی مجلسی و خوشمزه [How to make homemade and delicious Napoleon sweets]