Fabulous Flan

(Image courtesy of Sabrina Fariña of kiwilimon)

This week we're going to take a look at a dish that I consider to be a cultural oddity not because of the contents of the dish itself, but because of it's cultural history. Also, it's just a great overall dish that I figured doesn't get enough attention these days, particularly in many parts of the United States.

Flan (pronounced "fl-ah-n" surprisingly enough) is best described as a custard dessert with a seamless caramel topping and soft, sugary base. Many believe it to be from a variety of different European countries, including France, Spain, and Italy, even though it has currently found great popularity among the culture in Mexico. Therefore, flan begs the question, where did it's slippery caramel origins begin, and why should you care enough to eat it?

The word flan derives itself from the Old French flaon, after coming from Old Latin flado, where it came from West Germanic fladon. This could very well be the cause of some of the confusion surrounding the cultural heritage of the dish. Originally conceived of in Rome during the reign of the Roman Empire, flan started out as more of a savory dish than the sweet, creamy, and light concoction we know it as today. Romans even created an eel based flan to go alongside their honey flavored variant. As the Romans went on to conquer much of Europe and spread their influence, so too spread their many recipes, flan included. Many of the various lands with their respective cultures (Spanish, French, Germanic, etc.) took a liking to the sugary dish, and as a result it ended up surviving the fall of the Roman Empire. The Spaniards in particular took a great interest in flan, and were the first people to create its famous caramel topping, now a signature of well-made flan dish. Just like the Romans centuries before, as the Spanish eventually became great conquerors. And just like the Romans with their influence, Spanish conquistadors brought their modified flan recipe to the New World.

Boy, they didn't call it the "New World" for nothing. The Mexican people went culinary ballistic with flan, creating coffee, chocolate, and coconut flavors, along with modifying different parts of the recipes, similar to what is shown in the image below. This soon allowed flan to spread to the rest of Latin America, where it has largely flourished to this day.

You can't tell me that doesn't look delicious.

(Image courtesy Paula Kittelson of Betty Crocker)

Now to be completely honest, believe it or not, the best thing about flan isn't it's history, but rather the taste and texture. It is amazingly dense, and packs a flavorful punch of cream and caramel with every bite. The flavor is very unique compared to other desserts due to the fact that uses condensed milk in it's recipes, and is kept moist on the inside even while baking in the oven.

Unfortunately, flan never really become as mainstream in the upper North America Region as it did in Latin America. As a result, if you've never had it, I encourage you to make flan from a recipe of your choosing and delve into it's creamy goodness. Maybe even spread the news about the dish and share the recipe, just like the conquerors of older times.