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Petit four
Petits.fours.wmt.jpg
An assortment of petits fours
TypeConfectionery
CourseDessert
Place of originFrance
Main ingredientsVaries by type
French assortment of petits fours
French assortment of petits fours

A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises) is a small bite-sized confectionery or savory appetizer. The name is French, petit four (French pronunciation: ​[pə.ti fuʁ]), meaning "small oven".

History and etymology

In 18th and 19th century France, gas ovens did not exist. Large brick (Dutch design) ovens were used, which took a long time to heat up to bake bread, but also to cool down. Bakers used the ovens during the cooling process, taking advantage of their stored heat, for baking pastry. This was called baking à petit four (literally "at small oven"), a lower temperature which allowed pastry baking.[1][2]

Types

Petits fours come in three varieties:

In a French patisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Olver, Lynne (June 24, 2012). "history notes—cookies, crackers & biscuits". The Food Timeline. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012.
  2. ^ Jebirashvili, Revaz. "The History of Petit Fours". Mini Desserts. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

General references


Categories