Quick answer: The history of madeleines goes back to 18th-century France, and the little shell cakes are tied to the town of Commercy in the Lorraine region. The most popular legend says a young cook named Madeleine Paulmier baked them for King Stanislas Leszczynski, who named them after her. Marcel Proust later made them famous in literature.
This post is a part of my Madeleine series in tribute to this iconic French pastry and all that it means, from madeleine definition, choosing the right pan, all the secrets of authentic madeleine hump, and storage suggestions, you name it!
Madeleines origin
One legend dates back to the Middle Ages and centers on a girl named Madeleine. It says that during her pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, she was given these little cake-like cookies baked in shells. She brought the recipe back with her to France.
But there is another story, the story of Commercy, the capital of madeleines. Petites madeleines were invented in the kitchen of Stanisław Leszczyński (or another spelling, Stanislas Leczinski), the deposed king of Poland, when he was exiled to Lorraine.
One of his maids created the dessert. Many food historians believe that the cook was a young servant girl named Madeleine Paulmier.
In 1755, Stanislas, King of Lorraine, received. But, during the meal, he is told that his pastry chef, angry following a quarrel, has returned his apron.
A meal without dessert cannot be conceived. The butler makes a point of saving the king from this dishonor, provided he is given a little time.
While society amuses itself with games, stories, entertains the dwarf Ferry who pulls out a giant pie, we are busy in the pantry.
And here is the dessert. We bring to the guests cakes of an original shape, golden, and fondant… A marvel!Delighted, the king summons the author of this miracle: he is presented with a young and pretty servant, pink with confusion and her hands still white with flour...
- "What is the name of this masterpiece? - "
Madeleine de Commercy
He has no name, sire; that's what we do at my house, in Commercy, on holidays. - "
And what is your name?" - "
Madeleine"
- "Well, he will be called like you: Madeleine de Commercy."
The story says that in 1755 King Louis XV first tasted madeleines at the Château Commercy on his visit to the Lorraine region.
Louis's wife and Stanislas's daughter, Maria Leszczyńska, began serving madeleines to the French court at Versailles. So she created an appetite for madeleines that spread throughout France.
It is no wonder, since people love these small cakes for their delicate taste, and they were just about perfect!
When Stanislas died, one of his pastry chefs, Pantaléon Colombé, moved to Commercy.
He taught the secrets of making madeleines, which were passed down through the restaurant owner's descendants.
Amongst the craftsmen, the Colombé family has gained over a long time, in all fairness, a good reputation... Until 1817, the madeleine didn't make much progress. A pastry cook, competing with his rival cooks decided to lower the price and to give the recipe to all and sundry in order to out-sell them. His sparring partners could only save face by lowering their price by half and by improving the cake's quality. If the people had benefited from this "price war", the fighters have made an even larger profit. Nowadays, they are making even more in dozens than in the single units before.
Charles Dumont
Interestingly, the Colombé family still manages a few madeleine production techniques and recipes, such as Cloche d'Argent and Cloche Lorraine.
Yet another story dated to the 19th century gives credit to madeleine's creation to Jean Avice, a "master of choux pastry," who worked as a chef for Prince Talleyrand.
He baked cakes in aspic molds and probably invented the recipe.
Why are madeleines called madeleines?
Madeleines take their name from a woman, not an ingredient. The most repeated legend tells of Madeleine Paulmier, a young cook who saved a royal feast by baking her grandmother's little shell cakes. The delighted host, often named as the exiled Polish king Stanislas Leszczynski, is said to have named the treat "madeleine" in her honor.
Historians debate the details, and other cooks and pastry chefs have been credited over the years. Most stories agree that a real person named Madeleine gave the cake its name, and that the town of Commercy in Lorraine helped make it famous.
The first madeleine recipe
The first recipe dates to 1758, the middle of the 18th century. People used metal molds to bake "cakes à la Magdeleine and other small desserts" during the 18th century.
However, culinary writers mentioned the first recipe only in the 19th century. Large-scale production of madeleines began in the 1760s, when Commercy became an important manufacturing center for these treats.
The number of the 'madeleiniers' (madeleine makers) expanded significantly. Twenty thousand madeleine cakes would be created every day during the early 1840s.
In 1870, when Bismarck penetrated Commercy with the Chancellor and Prussian army, his secretary wrote in his diary:
Signboards were found at the doors of many houses with the inscription: 'fabrique de madeleines' (madeleine making place). With their melon-shape, the biscuits were a great success in France. We made sure we sent some boxes back to the homeland.
Madeleine making
In 1852, the future Emperor of France and aspiring autocratic leader Louis-Napoleon inaugurated the Paris-Strasbourg railway line with a stop at Commercy. There, his escort discovered madeleines.
By the late 1800s, the train led to even greater access to this treat. This train helped a young lady from Commercy, Anne Marie Caussin, move to Paris. She married the Marquis de Carcano, the heartthrob of the Parisian jet-set.
His wife, Madame de Caussin, settled a salon in her mansion where she served freshly made madeleines brought to her every day by the last train from Commercy.
After reaching Paris, these sweet treats became a staple for the French bourgeoisie. On the 13th October 1874, a local decree approved the sale of madeleines at the Gare de Commercy, a stop on the Paris-Strasbourg railway line.
Women loaded their large wicker baskets with madeleines and shouted to honor their baked goods to attract customers. It was a very unique show, typical of Commercy station at that time.
When people traveled through Commercy, you couldn't help but feel that something historic had happened. The vendors selling madeleines were there since 1874 and until the eve of the Second World War.
Daily production reached 2,500 madeleines, about 60 kilograms, predominantly sold on the station platforms.
In the mid-20th century, madeleines became famous thanks to French writer Marcel Proust and his autobiographical novel "In Search of Lost Time" ("À la recherche du temps perdu" in French).
In his first volume, Swann's Way (Du Côté de chez Swann in French), Proust wrote that the smell and taste of a madeleine unconsciously brought memories from his childhood.
There is a theory that everyone has their own madeleine memory, when a smell or taste evokes the past and brings it to life again.
Why are madeleines shaped like shells?
The scallop shell shape is the madeleine's most recognizable feature, and it comes straight from the mold it is baked in.
One popular explanation links the shell to the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, whose symbol is the scallop shell; pilgrims passing through the Lorraine region are said to have carried the little cakes shaped like their emblem.
Whatever the exact origin, the ridged shell mold does more than look pretty. Its shape helps the batter spread thin at the edges and pool in the center, which helps create a madeleine's crisp rim and signature raised hump.
Modern madeleines
Over time, the weight of a madeleine (la madeleine in French) has been reduced from 90 to 100 g to 30 g before the Second World War and to 25 g nowadays.
But the madeleine ingredients remained unchanged: flour, butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, and lemon zest or vanilla extract.
Today, two factories continue the traditional production of real Commercy madeleines.
One is a family bakery, Saint Michel-Grojean, founded in 1905. Another one has been operated by the Zins family since 1951 and is called Boite à Madeleine.
The madeleine recipes continue to develop.
Today, our pastry chefs continue to uphold our traditional know-how, and pass it on day-by-day to the younger generations.
St Michel, n°1 of the Madeleine in France, according Nielsen distributor panels YTD P07 2019
Madeleines, a bakery staple in France and across Europe for centuries, have proudly represented their country on Europe Day 2006.
These days, madeleines are not just about the taste. Appearance has become an essential factor, alongside how well these tea cakes are received by consumers who want their treat customized for any occasion.
The culinary world is full of talented chefs who create new recipes and madeleine flavors to elevate a humble madeleine to the world's finest French food served at high-end restaurants.
FAQ
When were madeleines invented?
Most accounts place the madeleine in 18th-century France, with the best-known legend dated to 1755 at the court of Stanislas Leszczynski in the Lorraine region. Some historians also credit the 19th-century pastry chef Jean Avice with refining the recipe.
Why are madeleines called madeleines?
The cakes are named after a person. According to legend, a young cook named Madeleine Paulmier baked them for a duke or king who, charmed by the treat, named it after her.
Why are madeleines so expensive?
Traditional madeleines use plenty of butter and eggs, are best baked fresh in small batches, and often carry the prestige of their French regional origin, all of which push up the price compared with everyday cookies.
Madeleine recipes
Do you need to travel to France to satisfy your craving? Not really. You can find madeleines at almost every French café, French market, Starbucks, many cafés, supermarkets, and even wholesale warehouses worldwide.
The French usually serve madeleines with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning. French children also enjoy cakes at four in the afternoon for the goûter, the French equivalent of the British afternoon tea.
The internet is full of traditional madeleine recipes from chefs and blogger-amateurs. Making authentic French madeleines with a hump on top can seem impossible for many.
But if you try this foolproof madeleine recipe, there is no doubt that you will succeed. It works every time and guarantees success!
The classic recipe requires basic ingredients (unsalted butter, large eggs at room temperature, sugar, flour, lemon rind), a madeleine pan, and a little bit of patience and precision.
And once you enjoy warm madeleines, possibly with your afternoon tea, you might remember the fascinating history behind these little French tea cakes. More, if you ever want to make twists on classic madeleines, try these recipes next:
Gina-Dianne Harding says
The legend I heard is they were named in honor of St Mary Magdalene, who arrived on the shores of Provence in a boat without oars after she was banished from the holy land. The shape of the Madeline's is like a little boat.
Irina says
Hello Gina-Dianne, I've read a few versions of the madeleine origin. So maybe the legend you heard about took place... Thanks for your comment and for stopping by!!