Entremet was originally a simple dish in ancient Rome, but evolved into an elaborate entertainment course in medieval Europe with fancy foods and live entertainment. Today, it is a sweet dish or pastry served after the cheese course, intended to delight both the palate and the eye.
In modern French cuisine, an entremet, literally “between portions”, is a small dish served between main courses, or a dessert. However, in late medieval and early modern Europe, entremet was often an elaborate entertainment course with fancy foods and sometimes live entertainment. In English, this course was often referred to as subtlety, from a word meaning “refined,” “intelligent,” or “finely structured.” Niceties, however, didn’t include entertainment.
The entremet has its origins in ancient Roman cuisine, when novelty dishes were popular at lavish court meals. In medieval times, entremets were originally rather simple dishes such as porridge or chopped liver, but brightly colored with saffron or seasoned with exotic spices. The course was supposed to appeal to all senses and showcase expensive and unusual ingredients. Entremet’s purpose was to provide entertainment and food, and to set boundaries between courses at a formal banquet.
Over the years, the entremet became more and more elaborate. Poultry and hunting animals were fixed after cooking to resemble the live animal. Foods were prepared to resemble other imaginative foods or animals, to look like ornate castles, or to depict scenes such as a knight in battle.
Allegorical and political themes became popular, especially during festivals commemorating important political events, such as the defeat of an enemy in battle. Some entremet dishes were gigantic and required many servers to bring them in. They included special effects such as fire-breathing animals, wine-gushing fountains, and miniature archers or musicians.
The entremet also included live entertainment in the form of musicians, dancers, actors, singers, and poetry recitals, often depicting political victories and glorifying the banquet host. This might include huge wooden models of cities or ships, or other theater-like props. Giant pastries could be created to hold human performers.
Today, entremets usually take the form of a sweet dish or pastry, traditionally served after the cheese course near the end of the meal. In this sense, an entremet is a multi-layered mousse cake with a variety of textures and flavors. It is still intended to delight both the palate and the eye and be a form of novelty, entertainment and food. The pastry can be made into interesting shapes such as a pyramid or dome, and is often interestingly decorated. There are specially designed pastry molds and rings for entremet making.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
