England, France or Switzerland: Where did carrot cake originate from?
Carrot, as we all know, is good for our eyes. Okay, but does that mean eating a carrot cake would also help improve our visual health? While we do not know the answer to this, we do know that carrot cake has quite a disputed origin story. We piqued your minds, isn’t it? Well, let us introduce you with the theories surrounding the origin of this popular dessert.
The Medieval England connection
If you are interested in food history, you might know that during the Middle Ages, the Englishmen enjoyed something called a carrot pudding. No, it is nothing like your regular pudding. In fact, this particular recipe was more of a meat-based pie than a dessert, and contained stuffed carrot with meat, alongside eggs, flour, butter, cream and breadcrumbs. Since it contained meat, it also had add-on spices. So, it was not sweet, rather savoury. Now, many food historians believe that carrot cake emerged around the same time. In fact, they think it was supposed to be a sweet equivalent of carrot pudding. But sugar at that point in time was pretty expensive. Therefore, in order to make it affordable, the British started using carrot as a substitute sweetener.
The French connection
Another possible theory behind the birth of carrot cake is that it was born in the 19th century in the French court of Louis XVI. As it turns out, this French King was allergic to pumpkin but was very eager to taste something like the pumpkin pie, having heard about its delicious taste. This is when he commissioned his royal chef Antoine Beauvilliers to make him something similar. Long story short, Beauvilliers pioneered the carrot cake, simply by replacing pumpkin with carrot and adding some crust to it and a few other French ingredients. He called it “gateau de carottes” or “carrot cake.” Years later, when he travelled to London in 1824, he carried the recipe with him and spread it across England.
Did carrot cake originate in Switzerland?
Apart from England and France, Switzerland too often claims that carrot cake was their invention. In fact, it is considered to be one of the most popular recipes from the nation’s culinary heritage. It is believed to have been born in the Kaiseraugst region where children during the mid-19th century were suffering from oral cavities. In fact, this dental condition had almost taken the shape of an epidemic. Wondering how that happened? Well, Switzerland being the chocolate capital of the world, the kids were gorging on it, both in schools and back at home. As the story goes, one of the local doctors thus suggested that chocolate in cakes and pastries and other kinds of desserts be replaced with something healthier. Guess what the preferred choice was? Carrot! In fact, a particular recipe was made with a lot of carrot and served during kids’ birthdays. Luckily, the children became quite fond of it and thus carrot cake became a thing.