Mesturet Anecdotes: The History of the Rum Baba

The history of cooking and that of France often come together and the contribution of cooks and pastry chefs from foreign courts between the 15th and 19th century was substantial. One of the iconic desserts of French bistros is, without doubt, the Rum Baba. But where could this dessert, that is the envy of the entire world, have come from? Well, the king of Poland had his pastry chef make this dessert based on raised dough and strong rum syrup. Looking for a name, King Stanislas Leszczynski (1677-1737), who was an admirer of the book Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, named  the pastry after the hero of the Thousand and One Nights. After many visits by the king of Poland (whose daughter was married to Louis XV) to France, his pastry chef Stohrer set up shop in rue Montorgueil in Paris and established this pastry in France once and for all. Later, the pastry chef Julien created a round variety with a hollow in the middle filled with whipped cream and candied fruit. He called it le savarin after Brillat Savarin, a great epicure of the 18th century. It’s worth noting that Stohrer’s pastry shop still exists, making it the oldest in Paris.