The Long and Layered Story of France's Beloved Mille-Feuille, and Its Muddled Relationship With the Napoleon

We trace the transformation of the mille-feuille from an "ancient recipe" to the height of French haute cuisine through innovators like Carême and centuries of baking brilliance. No, this French pastry is not connected to the French King by the same name.

A classic French dessert, Mille Feuille goes by different personas in different countries. North Americans call it Napoléon, people in the United Kingdom call it vanilla slice, and it is also a custard slice in general. Although the terms Napoléon and Mille Feuille are used interchangeably, they are slightly different. The former uses almond pastry cream, and the latter uses just regular pastry cream.

No matter the distinction, what is common to them is that they are crumbly and creamy at the same time. This pastry is famed for its lightness and not being overwhelmingly sweet on the palate, but paradoxically being rich at the same time.

What Makes Up the Mille Feuille?

Mille-feuille is beloved for its layers of crispy puff pastry sandwiching a rich vanilla pastry cream. These three main components of flaky dough, creamy filling, and their contrast are what give it such great flavor and texture.

The puff pastry layers are paper thin and baked until lightly golden brown. This makes them delightfully crisp but also delicate, so they dissolve pleasingly in your mouth. The pastry cream further elevates the dessert; made with butter, eggs and vanilla beans or just the extract, it has an intensely creamy and smooth consistency.

It's the contrast between the light, crispy dough and rich vanilla cream, combined in alternating thin layers, that makes mille-feuille such a treat. Both components are delicious, but together they create a greater whole, which is why this simple French pastry remains so popular. Taking the first bite of this dessert will definitely be a memorable experience.

The History

The mille-feuille or the thousand leaves (a reference to the multilayered flaky puff pastry crust) dessert traces its origin back to 1651, when French chef François Pierre de la Varenne published the earliest known recipe for it in his influential cookbook Le Cuisinier François. At this time, French gastronomy was undergoing a revolution away from heavily spiced medieval dishes toward more natural flavors. De la Varenne is credited as the original creator of the mille-feuille, establishing its basic concept of puff pastry layered with pastry cream.

In the late 18th century, renowned French chef Marie-Antoine Carême took the mille-feuille recipe and perfected it further. Carême is considered one of the first "celebrity" chefs, and was at the forefront of developing la grande cuisine, or the "high art" of French cooking. He is known to have refined techniques for pastry, sauces and decorated plates, helping elevate desserts like the mille-feuille. Under Carême's guidance, the mille-feuille became firmly established in French culinary tradition.

In the 19th century, famous Parisian pastry chef Adolphe Seugnot took a keen interest in the mille-feuille. In 1867, he proudly proclaimed it as his personal specialty. While some credit Seugnot as the creator, historical records clearly document the mille-feuille originating earlier. Nonetheless, as a renowned chef in his own right, Seugnot helped popularize the dessert further.

Throughout the 1900s, while some recipes incorporated new flavors like fruit or chocolate, many French patisseries kept the preparation of the traditional mille-feuille largely unchanged. Its layers of buttery puff pastry and creamy vanilla pastry have continued to delight sweet tooths for over three-and-a-half centuries. Today, the mille-feuille remains deeply ingrained in French culinary culture and identity.

The Mille Feuille vs Napoleon Ambiguity

François Pierre de la Varenne was the first person to document the irresistible French dessert, but the very name of the dessert remains ambiguous. While most commonly called a millefeuille, it is sometimes also referred to as a Napoleon. However, the claims of its connection to the French emperor are dubious.

Some food historians believe the name Napoleon may instead relate to similarities with Italian desserts from the city of Naples. For instance, the Italian dessert sfogliatelle shares characteristics with the millefeuille like layered pastry and creamy filling. This lends credence to the theory that the millefeuille concept predates the French and may have been introduced in Italy.

Adding another layer of complexity, some sources suggest the millefeuille was influenced by the Szegediner Torte, a Hungarian pastry made of caramelized layers of shortcrust pastry with a filling. While the ingredients differ, the Szegediner Torte's design of stacked sheets may have inspired the creation of thin puff pastry leaves in the French version.

Even the chef credited with perfecting the recipe, Marie-Antoine Carême, referred to it as an "ancient recipe" in the late 18th century. This implies the dessert's history stretches back further than existing documentation, shrouding its true origins in mystery. Thus, despite centuries of popularity, the precise background of this beloved French classic remains an intriguing historical ambiguity.