Hi everyone, how are you? Before starting the main topic, I want to ask, do you know what monburan (モンブラン) is? If you don’t know, I’ll give you a heads up that it is a dessert. I believe you must be thinking that this site is about Japan, so this recipe is also Japanese. I won’t correct you, after all, the variation of a recipe generates another recipe.
One thing that is notable in Japan is its incredible adaptation to new things. Focusing on cuisine, we can say that several recipes known as Japanese are actually just variations of the original recipes from other countries. Monburan is one of these variations, and it is about this recipe that we will discuss in this article.
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Original Recipe Mont Blanc
To solve a problem, go to its root. And to know how monburan was created, we need to know its original recipe. In this case, the recipe was sought in Europe, more precisely in Italy. And it is basically a puree of sweetened chestnuts covered with whipped cream.
With the name Mont Blanc, it refers to Monte Bianco, which is the highest mountain in the Alps and the European Union. This recipe is used as a dessert and is popular in several countries besides Japan, such as France, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Slovakia. Its name is due to its appearance, which alludes to a mountain covered in snow, reminiscent of Monte Bianco.
History of Mont Blanc in Japan
The recipe was mentioned in an Italian cookbook from the year 1475 and became popular in France around the second decade of the 17th century. They were originally yellow, due to using sweetened chestnuts through a peeling process.
This process, also known as Marron Glacé, is a confection that originated between Italy and France. It is basically a chestnut crystallized in sugar syrup and glazed. These chestnuts are an ingredient in various recipes and are also consumed alone.
Monburan – Japanese Version
A relevant piece of information about Japan is that its cuisine is almost entirely original from other countries. Unless you eat grilled and cooked seafood, you run a great risk of eating a recipe originally from another country, in the case of Japan. Two examples are Tempura, which is Portuguese, and Ramen, which is Chinese.
As food goes to other places, it also varies its recipe. And in Japan, Mont Blanc received some quite interesting modifications. I forgot to mention that this recipe is a type of cake. And in Japan, they modified the preparation methods and some ingredients. Monburan is usually a soft layer of cake with a mound of chestnut cream, all covered with threads of chestnut puree. This gives the recipe three different textures with different sweet flavors among the three.
Monburan Recipe
If you are wondering what Monburan means, Monburan means Mont Blanc. Whether it is very clever or not very creative varies by opinion. Continuing with the recipe, I have to warn you that it is not easy. Like most pastry recipes, it requires a bit of patience, elaborate techniques, the right ingredients, and a great deal of confidence.
Final
I personally do not like doing pastry work, perhaps because of all its details and the need for great delicacy. I don’t know, I just don’t like tasks that require things like that, which for a clumsy person are mortal enemies. But pastry is an art, and I greatly appreciate and value those who can provide us with such pleasurable experiences just by sitting at a table.
That’s all for this article, everyone! If you manage to put this recipe into practice, share your experience down below, and if you have questions, criticisms, suggestions, or anything like that, just comment as well. And thank you, my dear reader, for reading this far. Until the next article.
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