The list of delicious French desserts is endless, whether it’s the famous macarons or delicate crème brûlée. One of the lesser-known sweets is the canelé pastry. It has the shape of a smaller grooved cylinder with a dimple on the surface.
The origin of canelé probably dates back to the 18th century when it was popularized in Bordeaux by pastry chefs called “canauliers”. Canelé is made from a dough that contains flour, milk, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. It is often flavored with rum or another type of alcohol. The dough is baked in small grooved molds. After all, this is probably where the name of this sweet pastry comes from, as it can be loosely translated as stripes, wavy, or grooved.
The crust of the canelé is beautifully crispy and perfectly caramelized, the center is soft and creamy, literally melting in your mouth. In Bordeaux, it is a popular sweet treat. You can find canelé in bakeries and pastry shops all over the city. Some pastry shops even offer vegan versions.
I tasted canelé at the specialized pastry shop Cassonade. One small canelé made from high-quality rum and organic vanilla from Madagascar costs approximately 1 EUR, with prices increasing according to size and type of ingredients used. And because one canelé is never enough, the more you buy, the less you pay per piece. You can enjoy canelé inside the establishment or buy it through a window leading to the street and take it with you for a walk through beautiful Bordeaux.
Bon appétit!
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