Creme Brûlée: Who Actually Invented This Sublime Treat?

Crème brûlée is a dessert that exudes a sense of both richness and sophistication while being simple. At first appearance, it looked to be the dessert that best exemplifies the French culinary tradition.

Despite the fact that its name comes from the French phrase “burnt cream,” the history of crème brûlée is not as clear as one might think. Indeed, France, England, and Spain have all asserted that they are the countries that are responsible for the creation of the crème brûlée. As part of our efforts to be as precise as possible, we underwent some research and here’s for you to know.

The English version of crème brûlée has its roots in recipes from the fifteenth century and is quite comparable. It seems that a sweetened custard was created seasonally to take use of the exceptionally rich milk in the spring during calving season in England.

Some credit a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, with the notion of turning the school crest into a sugar topping, while others claim that the burning of the sugar was an accident. Since then, it has remained a mainstay on the school’s menu, going by names including Cambridge Cream and Trinity Cream.

By 1691, crème brûlée recipes started popping up in French cookbooks, but instead of caramelising sugar straight onto the custard, they would add a disc of sugar that had already been prepared on top. This is a little different approach from our modern understanding in terms of methodology.