Life of Pie: The Tale of the Treacle Tart
Tricky history of Treacle
From being used as an antidote for poison in the 17th century to suddenly popping up in recipes of gingerbread in the mid 18th century, treacle has been quite a boon.
The first of these recipes from 1420 may seem like the contemporary Treacle tart minus the pastry. For those of you who are wondering what the fuss about this tart is, let me tell you that this British delicacy is a short crust pastry filled with a golden syrup or treacle, bread crumbs and lemon zest. As perfect as it sounds, a version of this tart features in a 17th century recipe in the book ‘Total Perfection’ by Heston Blumenthal. The ‘tart of bread’ has a strangely similar recipe to the Treacle tart. As if that isn’t enough confusion already, Jane Grigson talks about the ‘Sweetmeat Cake’ in her book ‘English Food’ and coins it as the precursor to the Treacle tart. This recipe uses candied orange peel, sugar, butter and no treacle or bread at all!
As you can see, Treacle has had a debatable past until the unforeseen happened. Fast forward 400 years, treacle climbed the pinnacle of preferred desserts. Or as they call it, “The Chosen One”!
The Treacle Tart that lived
One thing I’m sure of is that here on, the past of this tart will no longer be ambiguous. You may have come across various references to the treacle tart in the pop culture that erase every shred of doubt.
You may remember the sleepy voice in the chapter “Who Stole the Tarts?” in Alice in Wonderland that answers to the King’s query as to what the tarts are made of. “Treacle” was the reply in case you were wondering.
Another random memory I have of this tart is from the Voyages of Dr. DoLittle, where the Treacle tart is cited as the Doctor’s favourite.
If you’re a die-hard Harry Potter fan like I am, it may have even sown a seed in your memory as Harry Potter’s favoured dessert. Its frequent appearance in the Start-of-Term feast at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry may ring a bell. I can’t emphasize enough on how much I love Harry Potter and the Treacle tart. If I were to be in the presence of the Amortentia potion, much like Harry, my heart too would jolt with a whiff of this blissful tart.
Of course, the recurring mention of Treacle tart in pop culture stems from how deeply it has established its place in the culinary universe. I can see muggles singing in praise of the tart that lived. Toggling between every grandmother’s dessert of choice to the overdose of sweetness responsible for ghastly dental problems, this tart will survive!
A piece of my heart: Treacle Tart
The treacle tart has all the makings to become the main muse for a super hit song! If I were Janis Joplin, I’d replace “piece of my heart” with “a piece of my Treacle tart” because it deserves to have a song written about it by a legend such as herself! In all honesty though, this tart is as precious as I make it look. If you have devoured this tart at any point, you may share my stance. If not, be prepared to enter a food coma with this heavenly tart that will sweep you off your feet!
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