Medieval Cinnamon Almond Tart

A medieval European almond and cinnamon tart in a butter pastry shell

Origin: Venice & Medieval Europe

From the journey of Cinnamon.

The almond tart (in its countless medieval forms) was among the most prestigious desserts of the European Middle Ages, appearing at baronial and royal feasts from England to Italy. Almonds were expensive; cinnamon was more so. A tart that combined both was a declaration of extraordinary wealth. The recipe traditions for these tarts (variously called torte de blank manger, tarte de amandes, or simply past de almaunds) survive in manuscripts from England, France, Italy, and Catalonia dating from the 13th through 15th centuries. Venetian merchants who controlled the cinnamon trade through the 14th century would have had first access to the finest Sri Lankan cinnamon and would have used it with a generosity unavailable to cooks further from the trade routes. The flavour combination (ground almonds, eggs, honey or sugar, and cinnamon) is utterly simple and completely timeless. This recipe follows the general structure of English manuscript The Forme of Cury (c. 1390), one of the oldest English cookery texts, adapted for a modern kitchen.

Ingredients

Pastry

200 g plain flour
100 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 whole egg yolk
2 tbsp cold water

Filling

200 g ground almonds (almond flour)
100 g caster sugar
2 tbsp honey
3 whole eggs
2 tsp ground cinnamon (Ceylon)
0.5 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp rosewater

Finish

1 tbsp icing sugar mixed with pinch of cinnamon, for dusting

Method

Make the pastry: rub butter into flour and icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add yolk and cold water, bring together into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out to 3mm thick and line a 23 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the base, line with baking paper and baking beans, and blind bake at 180°C (355°F) for 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans and bake 5 minutes more until pale golden. Allow to cool slightly.
Make the filling: whisk together ground almonds, sugar, honey, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, and rosewater until smooth.
Pour filling into the blind-baked shell. Return to oven at 170°C (340°F) and bake for 20–25 minutes until the filling is set at the edges but has a very slight wobble at the centre.
Cool in the tin completely. Dust with cinnamon-icing sugar before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Medieval versions of this tart sometimes included currants, dried figs, or pine nuts pressed into the filling before baking. The rosewater is historically essential: without it the flavour profile loses its medieval character. The tart keeps well for 3 days at room temperature and improves on the second day.

The Gastrographer

Name: Medieval Cinnamon Almond Tart
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Venice & Medieval Europe
Ingredients: 200 g plain flour; 100 g cold unsalted butter, cubed; 2 tbsp icing sugar; 1 whole egg yolk; 2 tbsp cold water; 200 g ground almonds (almond flour); 100 g caster sugar; 2 tbsp honey; 3 whole eggs; 2 tsp ground cinnamon (Ceylon); 0.5 tsp ground ginger; 2 tbsp rosewater; 1 tbsp icing sugar mixed with pinch of cinnamon, for dusting

Mapping Culinary History

To explore — select an ingredient below.

To explore — select an ingredient below · click any location dot on the map for recipes and stories · browse the information panel on the right · trace the full journey on the timeline.

Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control