On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 213

suitably colorful: except that the French writer Massialot had already published a recipe for “Meringues” in 1691 The linguist Otto Jänicke has traced the word meringue back to an alteration of the Latin word merenda, meaning “light evening meal,” into meringa, a form that was found in the Artois and Picardie near what is now Belgium Jänicke cites many variations on merenda that variously meant “evening bread,” “shepherd’s loaf,” “food taken to the field and forest,” “traveler’s snack.” What breads and road food have to with whipped egg whites? Early baked sugar-egg pastes were called “biscuits,” “breads,” and “loaves” because they were miniature imitations of these baked goods (biscuits, being thoroughly dried and therefore light and durable, were standard traveler’s fare) Perhaps such a confection was called meringa in northeast France Then, when cooks from that region discovered the advantage of beating the eggs thoroughly with the new straw whisk before adding sugar, the local term spread with their invention, and in the rest of France served to distinguish this delicate foam from its dense predecessors Between the two extremes — adding all the sugar after the foam has been made, or adding it all at the start of foaming — are a host of methods that call for adding certain portions of the sugar along the way There’s plenty of latitude in meringue making! Just remember: the earlier the sugar is added in the course of beating, the firmer and finertextured the meringue Sugar folded in after the beating stops will soften the texture Cooked Meringues Cooked meringues are more trouble to make than uncooked meringues, and are generally denser because heat sets the albumen proteins and ... host of methods that call for adding certain portions of the sugar along the way There’s plenty of latitude in meringue making! Just remember: the earlier the sugar is added in the course of beating, the firmer and finertextured the meringue...Then, when cooks from that region discovered the advantage of beating the eggs thoroughly with the new straw whisk before adding sugar, the local term spread with their invention, and in the. .. course of beating, the firmer and finertextured the meringue Sugar folded in after the beating stops will soften the texture Cooked Meringues Cooked meringues are more trouble to make than uncooked meringues, and