We have always tried to explain the origins of things, people ideas and sayings. Sometimes there are so many variations to origin stories that the real event of origin can be lost forever. For example, ask a barman where the very first cocktail came from did and I am sure he may tell you stories about prohibition, or of some old French town or even the gold rush era. But no one can agree on one answer.

Not far from where I live is a town called the Lamotte-Beuvron, which claims to this day, to be the place of birth of the famous French desert, the tart tatin.

The tart tatin is an upside down caramelised apple pie that is served warm (trust me no French person will have it any other way.) sometimes with cream, whipped or not, or vanilla ice cream. Of course a French person will tell you the only way to enjoy this desert is by itself but warm.

As the tale went, there were two sisters, Caroline and Stephanie. They ran a hotel restaurant close to the train station frequented by almost everyone, from hunters to business men as well as farmers. One sister worked the front of house and the other worked the kitchen.

It is said that the sister who worked the kitchen was known for her famous apple pie which is crispy and well caramelised while being sweet and juicy, but she was also incredibly absent minded. One day while listening to some hunters arguing and not paying much attention to what she was doing, she has put the apples into the pan first and then covered it up with the pastry.

When the tart came out of the oven she realised that it was upside down. Having nothing else she served the tart as is warm out of the oven. Her customers tasted the strange creation first with the tip of a knife then went at it by the spoonful. A legend was born. News of the tart had spread around the town like wild fire and the very next day the restaurant was packed with people all asking the same thing.

She got praises over praises because of her creation, although she kept saying that it was nothing more than an accident.

There is however another side to this story some say it could be a hoax that caught on.

In that era upside down apple or pear tarts were common to the region

A well known food critic of the time Maurice-Edmond Sailland, known as Curnonsky elected ‘the gastronomy prince’ by food magazines may have just invented that story. It is said that in 1927 he was the first to bring the recipe of the tatin to Paris and told the story to entertain his listeners during a press conference, the journalists were conquered and that was enough to make the desert a star.

In Paris Maxims was the first restaurant to serve the desert and today it’s a classic that can be found in almost all French restaurants. It is often served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, to the disappointment of the Brotherhood of the ‘Tarte Tatin Lichonneux Lamotte-Beuvron’. This association was founded in 1979 has made its mission, not without humor, “to uphold the traditional recipe of the famous dessert des Demoiselles Tatin”, “combating poor workmanship and other culinary abuse” and “criticize heretics” . However, for its members, the tart Tatin should be served as is, without any accompaniment.

So is the story true, or fiction? Does it really matter when there are so many different variations to the original recipe? From savory to sweet the tart tatin has found its way into French culinary history as well as the hearts of French people. Weather its apple or pears, tomatoes or asparagus, the tatin is truly a star.