A mendiant is a traditional French confection composed of a chocolate disk studded with nuts and dried fruits representing the four mendicant religious orders.[1] Each of the ingredients used refers to the color of monastic robes. Tradition dictates that raisins stand for the black-robed Augustinians, hazelnut for the brown and white habit of the Carmelites, dried fig for the brown-robed Franciscans, and almond for the Dominicans' white robes.[2]

Mendiant
Four mendiants: pistachio, almond, raisin and candied orange peel
TypeConfectionery
Place of originFrance
Main ingredientsbittersweet chocolate, nuts, dried fruits

They are usually produced during Christmas.[3] The recipes for this confection have diverged from the traditional combination of nuts and fruits to incorporate seeds, fruit peels, and other items.[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wilson, Dede (2011). Baker's Field Guide to Holiday Candy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1558326279.
  2. ^ Montagné, Prosper (1988). Lang, Jenifer Harvey (ed.). Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia. New York: Crown Publishers. p. 617. ISBN 0-517-57032-7. OCLC 17478288.
  3. ^ Guthrie, Katharine Blanche (1877). My Year in an Indian Fort. Vol. 1. London: Hurst and Blackett. p. 313.
  4. ^ Salvatore, Drew Anne Salvatore (18 October 2019). "What Is a Mendiant? Everything You Need to Know About the Chocolate Treat". Good Housekeeping. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  5. ^ Stevens, Tadhg Hylier (16 December 2020). "Why Is Chocolate Bark Called Bark?". Allrecipes. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2022.