Crème caramel or flan is a kind of rich custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. Both names are of French origin. The dish has spread across Europe and the world, and is known as 'flan' in Spanish-speaking countries. In the United States, the dish is now best-known in a Latin American context, so is called flan; in Europe, it is generally known as crème caramel. Food historian Alan Davidson remarks:

In the latter part of the 20th century crème caramel occupied an excessively large amount of territory in European restaurant dessert menus. This was probably due to the convenience, for restauranteurs, of being able to prepare a lot in advance and keep them until needed.Davidson, s.v. crème caramel

Crème caramel is a variant of plain custard (crème) where some caramel syrup is poured into the mold before adding the custard base. After the custard has set, it is turned out, leaving a caramel sauce on top.

Under the name flan, the dessert is very popular in Spain and in former Spanish colonies in Latin America and the Philippines. Through Mexican restaurants, this name has become common in the United States, though 'flan' in English formerly referred to a kind of open tart, as in French. (OED)

Flan may have derived in Southern regions of France and the Northern regions of Spain. Vitoria and Toulouse, one a Spanish city and the other a French, are both famous for flan.

Like all custards, flan is made with whole eggs, milk or cream, and sugar. The typical flavoring is simply vanilla, however, there are numerous variations, including almond, pistachio, lemon, and many types of fruit.

In Argentina, Uruguay and some neighbouring countries, flan is usually eaten with Dulce de leche.

An imitation of flan may be prepared from instant flan powder, which is thickened with agar rather than eggs; "Royal" is a popular brand. In some Latin America countries, the true custard version is known as "milk flan" (leche flan) or even "milk cheese", and the substitute version is known as just "flan".

Flan is ubiquitous in Japanese convenience stores under the name "custard pudding". It is not uncommon to find an entire shelf in a Lawson or 7-Eleven dedicated to over a dozen brands and varieties of flan.

Trivia

• Flan is repeatedly mentioned in the film Envy (2004). At the end of the movie, Ben Stiller's character comes up with the idea for "Pocket Flan."
• In an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, flan is referred to as the food "nobody can resist", and is key to cheering people up from supernatural funk. The power of flan seems to be centered not around its flavor, but that it's "wiggley".
• An episode of the cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog titled "King of Flan" made use of the dessert. The townspeople, as well as Eustace and Muriel, are hypnotized by "The Flan King" to do nothing but buy and eat his brand of Flan. The main draw of the episode was the antagonist's repetition of the hypnotic phrase "Buy Flantasy Flan. Buy Flantasy Flan..."
• This foodstuff appears throughout the popular Final Fantasy series as a magic vulnerable creature. See also Tofu, Pudding, Cream, Ooze, and Pink Puff.
• Flan is the favorite food of mad scientist Desty Nova and makes several appearances through the Battle Angel Alita graphic novels.

Bibliography

• Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, 1999. ISBN 0192115790.

References