5 Famous classic desserts that were inspired by women

With Women’s Day on 9th August, we decided to celebrate the day in the way we know best – with food!

There are so many wonderful culinary creations That purely exist because of a so-called “accident” in the kitchen. Think of chocolate chip cookies! The idea was that once the chocolate bits were added, the biscuits would go a deep chocolatey brown colour, but they stayed in tact… giving us one the most popular tea time treats that is loved the world over!

There are so many amazing stories about how certain dishes came about and these ones below will demonstrate just that! Not only do they form a special part of culinary history, but they all exist because of a woman (or two!).

Read on…

1. Pavlova

This meringue-based dessert was named after the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, when she visited New Zealand during 1926 on her world tour. Since then, the Pavlova became world-famous and is now one of New Zealand’s national dishes.

2. Peach Melba

This simple yet delectable dessert consists of just peaches, raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was invented in honour of one of the most famous soprano singers of the Victorian age, Nellie Melba. Way back during the late 1800s The Duke of Orléans gave a dinner party to celebrate Nellie’s success. This was when the chef made the dessert in her honour.

3. Tarte tatin

Tarte tatin, is a dish that became famous after it was made by accident and of course inspired by a woman! Like many other famous desserts, the actual origin is conflicted but the most common one is that Stéphanie Tatin, one of the sisters who ran Hotel Tatin in France, made the dessert one day when she was overworked. She meant to make a traditional apple tart but when she accidentally left the apples cooking in the butter and sugar too long, resulting in some burning, she decided to rescue the dish by placing the pastry on top of the apples and then popped it into the oven. The result? An upside down pastry which is incredibly mouth-watering.

4. Crepe Suzette

Crêpe Suzette is a French dessert that has a pancake-like consistency, paired with a caramelized, orange sauce. During 1895, a 14-year-old assistant waiter made a dessert for the Prince of Whales but it caught alight. Initially the young man thought that the dessert was ruined but fortunately decided to taste it. It tasted so good that he decided to serve it to the Prince and his guests, one of whom’s name was Suzette. After the young man suggested that the master piece be named Crêpes Princesse, the Prince protested and it was at this point that young Suzette rose to her feet and requested that it be named after her.

5. Victoria sponge cake

This timeless classic was named after Queen Victoria herself. It is said that she was known to enjoy a slice of this cake with her tea. A slice of Victoria Sponge cake consists of the two layers of normal vanilla sponge cake with whipped cream and raspberry jam in between the layers.