Tart facts for kids
Raspberry tart
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| Main ingredients | Pastry crust (usually shortcrust pastry) |
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| Variations | Sweet tarts, savoury tarts |
A tart is a delicious baked dish. It has a yummy filling on top of a pastry base. The top of a tart is always open, meaning it's not covered with more pastry. The pastry is usually a type called shortcrust pastry. Tarts can have sweet fillings, like fruit or custard. They can also have savoury fillings, like meat or vegetables.
A tartlet is just a tiny version of a tart. For example, egg tarts are often small tartlets. Tarts are a lot like other baked goods such as "flans", "quiches", and "pies". Sometimes it's hard to tell them apart!
The History of Tarts
The word tarte comes from the French word. In French, it can mean either a pie or a tart. This is because pies and tarts are very similar. The main difference is that pies usually cover their filling with pastry. Tarts and flans, however, leave the filling open.
People think tarts might have started from a tradition of layering food. They could also have come from how pies were made in the Medieval times. A special kind of dough, called enriched dough (like shortcrust), became popular around 1550. This was about 200 years after pies first appeared.
Back then, tarts were seen as fancy food. Rich people and nobles loved them. This was different from pies, which were often eaten by everyone. At first, tarts usually had savoury fillings, like meat. But over time, people started to prefer sweet tarts. They began filling them with fruit and custard instead.
One of the earliest tarts was the Italian crostata. This tart dates back to at least the mid-1400s. It's like a simple, open fruit tart that you can make in a rustic, free-form way.
What Makes a Tart a Tart?
Tarts usually stand up on their own. They have a firm pastry base made from flour. The filling inside is often thick. The sides of a tart usually go straight up, like a wall.
Pies can be a bit different. They might have softer pastry. Their filling can also be looser. The sides of a pie often slope outwards. Because of this, pies usually need to be served right from their pie dish.
Different Kinds of Tarts
There are many kinds of tarts to enjoy! Some popular ones include Treacle tart, meringue tart, tarte tatin, and Bakewell tart. A jam tart is a simple tart that uses jam instead of fresh fruit.
A Tarte Tatin is a special kind of tart. It's made upside-down! You can make it with apples, other fruits, or even onions.
Savoury tarts are also very popular. Quiche is a famous savoury tart. It has a filling that is mostly custard. Other savoury tarts include German Zwiebelkuchen, which is an 'onion tart'. There's also a Swiss cheese tart made with Gruyère cheese.
Gallery
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Strawberry tart
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Chocolate tart
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Mexican blackberry tart
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Cranberry Curd Tart
See also
In Spanish: Tarta para niños
