The history of cakes
How and when were the cakes born?
Here is a brief story of the cakes told by Teresa di Sugarmania.
On a day today talking about cakes is like talking about the air we breathe, because the cakes are always part of our life. Who has never eaten a cake? I think it's impossible to find a person, who can claim to have never eaten a cake in his life.
The cakes are part of our being, they are prepared both when we have to celebrate an important event like a birthday, a wedding, a promotion and to simply slim our desire for sweet or staying in the family or with friends in company.
At our time we are usually preparing home cakes almost professional thanks to the equipment and ingredients that can be found easily even at the supermarket.
Often those who prepare the cakes at home is a passionate of pastry shop and is pleased to him in this sweet culinary art. Those who prefer to buy a ready cake has a great choice, because today we do not find cakes and sweets only in pastry shop, but also in the most equipped hypermarkets and in recent years we also find long-life cakes in the supermarket shelves.
Let's go back in time to discover the true story of the cakes.
When cakes are born?
The history of cakes is born in ancient times.
The first cakes had nothing to see with the cakes of our days. They arise like a softened bread with honey and often containing dried and dried fruit. They were low and flat and looked a crushed bread.
There are two thinking currents to explain why cakes are born round.
- The antique cakes similar to the bread were prepared by a rounded dough ball that in baking is relaxed and lowered with heat by taking the round shape
- In ancient times the cakes were prepared as gifts for the deities and spirits and had to represent cycles of life, moon and sun and for this reason they were round.
From here theory is born, that the round cakes symbolize the life cycle and for this they have begun to be used to birthdays.
Only over time they added to the ingredients eggs, butter, cream, oil etc.
According to historians the first culture that has developed appreciable skills preparation and cooking foods was that of ancient Egyptians. In the Middle Ages Fruit cakes or gingerbread were often created. The first modern cakes, which resembled today's cakes, are born in Europe a Half of the seventeenth century.
At that time they see the light cakes with icing, made with sugar, egg white and sometimes aromas. These glazes were cooked on the fire and poured into the cooked cakes and then put the oven to solidify the icing. Once taken from the oven and cooled the glaze bought lucidity and became hard.
The cakes produced in this period often contained Dried fruit, like for example raisin.
Thanks to progress in seventh century Cooking cakes became easier. In this period refined sugar, more reliable ovens, molds for cooking made of metal, wood or paper. In this period, round molds for adjustable cakes were also born, a real innovation for the pastry world.
From the middle of the IXX century The cakes are born as we know them today. Thanks to the diffusion of powdered yeast and extra white flour it was possible to get soft cakes as we know them today.
Cooked sugar and egg white glazes are handed up with butter cream, cream and layered cakes are born.
Antonin Careme, French, [1784-1833] It is considered the first chef of cakes and pastry of the modern era.
With time the development of pastry and cooking of cakes has grown exponentially and today we know and prepare an infinite number of cakes following recipes and classic used for some time, but also creating new recipes that make the art of pastry a business Dynamics and constantly evolving.
A special mention deserve birthday cakes.
In modern times we can no longer imagine a birthday party without a cake. But since when is it to celebrate a birthday with a cake from?
Everything is born in ancient Greece, where the birth of their gods was celebrated by tradition. For the birth of the goddess Artemide, a round cake was prepared by the people, which had to symbolize the moon and to make this moon shine on candles turned on.
By 13th century in Germany The custom of celebrating children's birthday is born (Kinderfest) With cakes illuminated by candles. Candles represented light and life cycle. For each year there was a candle plus a candle to represent life that continued. Unlike our days the candles remained turned on all day and replace if by chance ended. Before cutting the cake the candles were turned off by the child who expressed a desire.
It was believed that the smoke of candles took the desire in paradise to be fulfilled and, as in the present day, the desire should not have been unveiled to be fulfilled.
This is a brief history of the birth of ancient times. Surely all of you, like me, you could not have a life by now without cakes. They are part of our past, present and future. Celebrate a birthday, a wedding, a special goal or simply consuming a family cake or friends is definitely the sweetest way there is to party.
The pastry world is very vast and we invite you to stay tuned to our blog and on our site to discover other curiosities about the history of pastry shop, on the cake design and the world of desserts in general.