Tea at Trianon: Falooda

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Falooda

From Atlas Obscura:

On hot summer days, friends and families gathered at Indian cafes slurp down tall glasses of falooda using long, slender spoons. In any assemblage of this icy drink-meets-dessert, diners will find a tangle of rice vermicelli and basil seeds sitting in frosty, rose syrup–tinted milk. Pistachios, almonds, and ice cream often finish off the parfait, adding crunchy and creamy elements to the gooey, fragrant combination. As with many of the frozen hodgepodges made from locally-available goodies (see: Filipino halo-halo, Taiwanese bao bing, and Colombian cholado), variations abound. Aside from rose syrup, flavors such as grape, orange, pineapple, and black currant are just a few of the other options found in cafes across the country.

Locals in Mumbai are often credited with the modern iteration of this signature sweet, but the creation is beloved by Indians all over the world. Today, falooda stalls selling plastic to-go containers line the country’s beaches, but many believe it descended from royalty. According to one food historian, a 17th-century Mughal emperor had a particular penchant for “faluda, a rich jelly-like drink made from the strainings of boiled wheat mixed with fruit juices and cream.” (Read more.)