Flan (pie) (original) (raw)

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British tart with egg-based filling

Not to be confused with crème caramel, also known as flan or flan de leche.

Flan

A slice of flan on a plate
Type Dessert or snack
Place of origin Europe
Region or state Global
Associated cuisine Roman cuisine
Serving temperature Room temperature or cold
Cookbook: Flan Media: Flan

A flan, in British cuisine, is an egg-based dish with an open, rimmed pastry or sponge base containing a sweet or savoury filling. Examples are bacon and egg flan and custard tart.

Flan is recorded in Ancient Roman cuisine.[1] It was often a savory dish, as in "eel flan"; sweet flans were also enjoyed.

In the Middle Ages, both sweet and savory flans (almonds, cinnamon and sugar; cheese, curd, spinach, fish) were popular in Spain and across Europe, especially during Lent, when meat was forbidden.[2]

The English word "flan", and the earlier forms "flaune" and "flawn", come from the Old French flaon (modern French flan), in turn from the early Medieval Latin fladō (accusative fladōnem), of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root meaning "flat" or "broad".[3]

  1. ^ Marks, Gil (2010) Flan Encyclopedia of Jewish Food
  2. ^ Olver, Lynne. "history notes - puddings". The Food Timeline. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  3. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition (1989); Petit Robert 1973.