A basic blancmange. The yellow is partly from vanilla and partly from the milk itself.

For other uses, see Blancmange (disambiguation).

Blancmange, (pronounced [bləˈmɒnʒ] or [bləˈmɑːndʒ], also known as shape), is a sweet dessert commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with gelatin or cornstarch, and often flavored with almonds. It is usually set in a mould and served cold. Although traditionally white, blancmanges are frequently given a pink color as well. Some similar desserts are bavarian cream, malabi, flan and haupia. The historical blancmange originated some time in the Middle Ages and usually consisted of chicken, milk or almond milk, rice and sugar and was considered to be an ideal food for the sick. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 547 pixelsFull resolution (1083 × 741 pixels, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Basic blancmange. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 547 pixelsFull resolution (1083 × 741 pixels, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Basic blancmange. ... Blancmange is a jelly dessert made of milk, sugar, gelatin and flavouring. ... The symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet can be used to show pronounciation in English. ... Not to be confused with Desert. ... A glass of cows milk. ... Cans of cream. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely traded commodity. ... For the art collective, see Gelitin. ... Products treated with cornstarch Cornstarch, or cornflour, is the starch of the maize grain, commonly known as corn. ... Binomial name (Mill. ... Bavarian cream or Crème bavaroise is a classical dessert named after Bavaria, Germany. ... Flan may refer to any of the following: a flan IS a pie it says so on the pie page, it is a tart which is a pie, so there In British English usage, flan may be various kinds of tart or cake with a sweet or savoury filling, often... Haupia is a traditional coconut milk-based Hawaiian dessert often found at luaus in Hawai‘i and in local confections that contain coconut. ...

History

The true origin of the blancmange is obscure, but it is believed that it was a result of the Arab introduction of rice and almonds in early medieval Europe. However, there is no evidence of the existence of any similar Arab dishes from that period. Several other names for related or similar dishes existed in Europe, such as the 13th century Danish hwit moos ("white mush"), the Anglo-Norman blanc desirree ("white Syrian dish") and Dutch calijs (from Latin colare, "to strain"). The oldest recipe found so far is from a copy of a Danish translation of German original by Henrik Harpestræng (11??-1244), which must date back to the early 13th century at the latest. The German original is in turn assumed to have been based on a Latin or Romance vernacular manuscript from the 12th century or even earlier.^[1] Henrik Harpestræng (died April 2, 1244) was a Danish botanical and medical author. ...

The "whitedish" (from the original term Old French term blanc mangier) was an upper-class dish common to most of Europe during the Middle Ages and early modern period. It occurs in countless variations from recipe collections from all over Europe and is also mentioned in the prologue to Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The basic ingredients were milk or almond milk, sugar and shredded chicken (usually capon) or fish, and often combined with rosewater, rice flour, and mixed into a bland stew. Almond milk and fish were used as substitutes for the other animal products on fast days and Lent. It was also often flavored with spices like saffron or cinnamon and the chicken could be exchanged for various types of fowl, like quail or partridge. Spices were an especially common ingredient during the Middle Ages since they were considered highly prestigious. The whitedish was one of the preparations that could be found in recipe collections all over Europe and one of the few truly international dishes of medieval and early modern Europe. Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Chaucer redirects here. ... For other uses, see The Canterbury Tales (disambiguation). ... A glass of cows milk. ... Raw almonds Almond milk is a milky drink made from ground almonds. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A capon, soon to be roasted for a Christmas dinner. ... For other uses, see Fish (disambiguation). ... Rosewater or rose syrup (Persian: Golâb Turkish: Gül suyu) is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. ... Beef Stew A stew is a common dish made of vegetables (particularly potatoes or beans), meat, poultry, or seafood cooked in some sort of broth or sauce. ... Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. ... It has been suggested that Cuaresma be merged into this article or section. ... Genera Coturnix Anurophasis Perdicula Ophrysia † See also Pheasant, Partridge, Grouse Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae, or in the family Odontophoridae. ... For other uses, see Partridge (disambiguation). ...

On festive occasions and among the upper classes, whitedishes was often rendered more festive by various coloring agents: a reddish golden yellow of saffron; green with various herbs; or sandalwood for russet. In 14th century France parti-coloring, the use of two bright contrasting colors on the same plate, was especially popular and was described by Guillaume Tirel (also known as Taillevent), one of the primary authors of the later editions of Le Viandier. The brightly colored whitedishes were one of the most common of the early entremets, edibles that were intended to entertain and delight through a gaudy appearance, as much as through flavor. Binomial name Crocus sativus L. Saffron (IPA: ) is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. ... Herbs: basil Herbs (IPA: hə()b, or əb; see pronunciation differences) are seed-bearing plants without woody stems, which die down to the ground after flowering. ... The branches of a young sandalwood tree found in Hawaii Sandalwood is the fragrant wood of trees in the genus Santalum. ... Russet is a brown color with a reddish tinge. ... Guillaume Tirel, alias Taillevent (Old French: slicewind) (1310-1395) was the cook of several French kings, including Philip VI, Charles V and Charles VI from around 1325. ... An entremet (or entremets, from Old French, literally meaning between servings) is today a small dish served between courses or simply a dessert. ...

In the 17th century, the whitedish evolved into a meatless dessert pudding with cream and eggs and, later, gelatin. In the 19th century, arrowroot and cornflour was added and the dish evolved into the modern blancmange. Pudding can be prepared with a large variety of toppings such as fresh fruit and/or berries, and whipped cream Christmas pudding Dessert pudding Illustrations from Isabella Beetons Mrs Beetons Book of Household Management, 1861 Pudding most often refers to a dessert, but can also be a savory dish. ... For the art collective, see Gelitin. ... Binomial name Maranta arundinacea L. Arrowroot, or obedience plant, (Maranta arundinacea) is a large perennial herb of genus Maranta found in rainforest habitats. ... Cornflour may refer to: cornmeal cornstarch, in British English. ...

Etymology

The word blancmange derives from Old French blanc mangier. The name "whitedish" is a modern term used by some historians, though the name historically was either a direct translation from or a calque of the Old French term. Many different local or regional terms were used for the dish in the Middle Ages: // In linguistics, a calque (pronounced ) or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word (Latin: verbum pro verbo) or root-for-root translation. ...

• English: blancmanger, blankmanger, blank maunger, blomanger, blamang
• Catalan: manjar blanch
• Portuguese: manjar branco
• Italian: mangiare bianco, blanmangieri, bramangere
• Spanish: manjar blanco
• Dutch/Flemish: blanc mengier
• German: blamensir
• Latin: albus cibus, esus albus

Though it is fairly certain that the etymology is indeed "white dish", medieval sources are not always consistent as to the actual color of the dish. Food scholar Terence Scully has proposed the alternative etymology of bland mangier, "bland dish", reflecting its often mild and "dainty" (in this context meaning refined and aristocratic) taste and popularity as a sick dish.^[2]

External links

• Blanc-Manger: A Journey Through Time
• Wasfa Sahla: Recipe: Mehalabeya

See also

• Manjar Blanco
• medieval cuisine
• entremet
• frumenty
• tavuk göğsü
• Monty Python Episode - You're No Fun Anymore, The Science Fiction Sketch

Manjar blanco (IPA: //) is a term used to refer to a variety of delicacies in the Spanish-speaking world. ... Peasants threshing siligo, a type of wheat. ... An entremet (or entremets, from Old French, literally meaning between servings) is today a small dish served between courses or simply a dessert. ... Frumenty (sometimes furmity) was a popular food dish in the Middle Ages in Europe. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... List of all 45 episodes from the television series Monty Pythons Flying Circus: // (episode 1; aired October 5, 1969; recorded September 7, 1969) Its Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Italian Lesson Whizzo Butter Its the Arts Arthur Two Sheds Jackson Picasso/Cycling Race The Funniest Joke in the World...

Notes

1. ^ Hieatt, Constance B. Food in the Middle Ages, Sorting Through the Titles of Medieval Dishes: What Is, or Is Not, a "Blanc Manger" p. 25-43
2. ^ Scully, p. 208

Sources

• Food in the Middle Ages: A Book of Essays (1995) edited by Melitta Weiss Adamson ISBN 0-8153-1345-4
• Scully, Terence (1995), The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages. ISBN 0-85115-611-8