Crème brûlée is a dish that’s known by several different names. It’s been called Trinity cream or burned cream, but no matter what you call it, it’s still a dessert that most people are going to love. It’s a rich custard topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar. This combination gives the person eating it a taste sensation that isn’t provided by any other dessert. It’s a combination of creamy and crunchy with an undeniable but not overpowering sweetness to it. No wonder so many people enjoy this dessert regularly and also celebrate it on July 27th when they observe National Crème Brûlée Day.

The History Of Crème Brûlée

We couldn’t uncover the history of National Crème Brûlée Day, so we decided to dig into the history of this dessert instead. What we’ve discovered is that Crème brûlée is likely a dish that’s been around for a long, long time. The earliest reference to it can be found in a recipe book by François Massialot in the year 1691. That means that it’s at least 330+ years old, but is likely even older than that—maybe even going back to the end of the High Middle Ages. For the 1702 translation of this recipe, its name was translated into English as “burnt cream.” François Massialot would refer to a recipe that was very similar to this one in 1740 as crême à l’Angloise—roughly translated as English Cream.

What’s curious about this dish, however, is that after 1740 it seemed to disappear from French cookbooks for quite some time. It wouldn’t show up in cookbooks again until 1980, but when it did, it became extremely popular and has continued to remain popular to this day. It’s a dish that’s not only enjoyed at fine restaurants all over the world but one that many amateur chefs have embraced and have put their own spin on.

Facts About Crème Brûlée

Need to know more about this tasty culinary delight? Well, if you do, then buckle up because we’re going to drop some interesting facts about crème brûlée below.

• Crème brûlée is usually served in ramekins.
• Crème brûlée can have the caramel formed directly on top, or the caramel can be turned into a hard disk and added later.
• The largest crème brûlée in the world weighed 1,600 pounds and was 26 feet in diameter. It had an estimated 2 million calories.

Observing National Crème Brûlée Day

Anyone wishing to observe National Crème Brûlée Day can do so by either going to a restaurant to enjoy this dish or creating their own at home. And it doesn’t have to be the traditional French version of this recipe. People can enjoy Crema Catalana—a version that’s popular in Spain, or Trinity Cream—a dish that’s popular in England. Regardless of which version you enjoy, however, just be sure to use the hashtag #NationalCremeBruleeDay on social media to post pictures of the crème brûlée version you’ve selected.