Mendiant Explained

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]

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

• Peppermint bark
• Almond bark

Notes and References

1. Book: Baker's Field Guide to Holiday Candy . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt . Wilson, Dede . 2011 . 98–99 . 978-1558326279.
2. Book: Montagné, Prosper . Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia . 1988 . Crown Publishers . Lang . Jenifer Harvey . 0-517-57032-7 . New York . 17478288. 617.
3. Book: Guthrie, Katharine Blanche . My Year in an Indian Fort. . 1877. 1. London . Hurst and Blackett. 313.
4. Web site: Salvatore. Drew Anne Salvatore. 2019-10-18 . What Is a Mendiant? Everything You Need to Know About the Chocolate Treat . 2022-12-18 . Good Housekeeping . en-us. https://web.archive.org/web/20220808065736/https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a29475257/what-is-a-mendiant/. 2022-08-08. live.
5. Web site: Stevens. Tadhg Hylier. 2020-12-16. Why Is Chocolate Bark Called Bark? . 2022-12-18 . Allrecipes . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20211223015748/https://www.allrecipes.com/article/why-is-chocolate-bark-called-bark/. 2021-12-23. live.