Pralines (Re: [Sca-cooks] Cookies - Picture)

[Terry Decker]

Working the research on this one will be a little tricky.  There is a lot of
bumpf out there and not much solid fact.  That pralines are tied by name to
the Comte du Plessis-Praslin in the 16th Century seems well established, but
there isn't much on the antecedents or descendents that I would trust fully.

The best bet seems to be researching 18th and 19th Century southern
cookbooks and trying to locate French confectioners manuals from the 16th
and 17th Century to find a description of the original praline to relate it
to earlier cookbooks.

I haven't checked the OED yet, but that may give some clues.

Bear

>> I have yet to do actual research on it . . . more fun for me
>> just to talk in generality and possibility on this one.
>I wish one of the sugar/candy experts here would do so. Bear? Katherine?
>
>--
>THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra