Tronchines.
Ingredients: 3 ozs of
castor sugar, the rind of two limes (or one lemon) grated, 1½ oz of flour, four
whites of eggs (Indian.)
Method: Beat the whites of
the eggs to a firm froth, stir into it the sugar and lemon-rind, lastly add the
flour, and spread the mixture on a greased tin very thinly, about as thick as
the back of a knife. Bake in a quick oven and cut into small pieces, or cut in
long pieces, and roll up while warm.
The name ‘tronchines’ set me hunting. I found only a very few
references to them in the usual sources, but was delighted that one of the
first that did turn up was in a
newspaper from my home town of Brisbane. The recipe, as you will see below, is
essentially the same as the example in The
Times of India. It was in a feature headed ‘Swiss Cakes.’
Tronchines.
These are small thin
cakes, available to serve with ices or stewed fruit.
Take 3 oz. of castor
sugar, 1½ oz. flour, and the grated rind of a lemon, together with the whites
only of three eggs. Whisk the latter to a stiff froth, stir in the sugar, and
lemon rind, lastly the flour. Spread on tins, which have been rubbed with white
wax, to the thickness of the back of a knife, and bake. Cut in squares before
they are quite cold, and leave to stiffen.
The Brisbane Courier, February 15, 1911
I would love to find out more about these cakes. Are they Swiss? And
what is the origin of the name – who or what is a ‘tronchine’? if you know them
or cook them, please let us know.
Quotation for the Day.
When I walk into my kitchen today, I am not alone. Whether we know
it or not, none of us is. We bring fathers and mothers and kitchen tables, and
every meal we have ever eaten. Food is never just food. It's also a way of
getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be.
Molly Wizenberg, A Homemade
Life.
4 comments:
"Tranche" means "slice" in French. I would guess that tronchines is a re-spelling of tranchines, meaning little slices? They sound delicious!
They really do sound delicious. There was a mid C18th dress called the tronchine, worn when taking outdoor exercise. It was named after a Dr Tronchin, who was Voltaire's doctor whilst in Vienna, and was famous for inoculating the French king's family against smallpox. I'm not sure that helps - through perhaps it establishes a loose link with Switzerland - and maybe there is something to do with the shape of the cake that is like the skirt, or the spots of the rind that are reminiscent of the pox?!
Thanks Jane for clue number 1. Maybe someone named a special lemony version of this cake in honour of Dr Tronchin?
I also heard that 'tronche' means 'face' - although I dont see how that can be relevant.
Are they named after the bonnets which were named after Dr Tronchin?
I found this in the Berkeley Daily Gazette of December 23, 1935
Fashion Innovations for women have sprung from some odd sources,it is pointed out by Arnold H. Rowbotham, assistant professor of French at the University of California, in a booklet on the propaganda surrounding the introduction of smallpox inoculation in France. This inoculation,
he found, was the inspiration for one departure in the design of Parisian gowns and hats early in the 18th century.
"Women began to wear 'bonnets a l’inoculatlon,' the ribbons of which were decorated with dots to represent pock marks, and the latest style in
gowns was called 'tronchine'," the l a t t e r in honor of Dr. Theodore Tronchin, who aided in introducing inoculation into the French capital, the
booklet says.
Post a Comment