Wikipedia

Cat tongue

This article is about the food item. For the tongue of a cat, see Cat anatomy § Tongue.
Cat tongue
Cat tongues: biscuits (top), milk chocolate bars (bottom).
Alternative namesLadyfinger
TypeBiscuit or chocolate bar
CourseDessert
Place of originFrance (biscuits), Austria (chocolate bars)
Region or stateWorldwide
  •   Media: Cat tongue

A cat tongue is a small biscuit (cookie) or chocolate bar available in a number of European, Asian, and South American countries. The name comes from the fact that the biscuits are long and flat, somewhat like a cat's tongue.[1][2][3]

They are known locally as kočičí jazýčky (Czech), Kattentong (Dutch),[4] kocie języczki (Polish), langue de chat (French), Katzenzungenⓘ (German), lingua di gatto (Italian), língua de gato (Portuguese), lengua de gato (Spanish), macskanyelv (Hungarian), limbă de pisică (Romanian) or lidah kucing (Indonesian).

Cookies (biscuits)

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Cat's tongue cookies are sweet, thin, and crunchy.[1][5] The original recipe most likely comes from 17th century France.[6][7] Egg white, wheat flour, sugar, butter and vanilla are common ingredients with chocolate, citrus, and spices used in some recipes.[1][8]

In European cuisine they are prepared with a ganache, cream or jam filling, and sandwiched together.[1][9] They are sometimes dipped in chocolate as part of their preparation.[9] In France, the cookie is often served with sorbet or ice cream.[9] In the Canary Islands, cat's tongue cookies are served with bienmesabe, a dessert dish.[10]

A cat's tongue mold pan may be used in their preparation, in which cookie dough is placed and then baked.[1] In French, this pan is known as langue-de-chat.[1] This pan is also used in the preparation of ladyfingers and éclairs.[1] The mold is also referred to as a cat's tongue plaque.[11]

In Japan, langue de chat (ラング・ド・シャ, rangu do sha) are often circular or square and are ingredients in such confections as Shiroi Koibito.[12][13]

Chocolate bars

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Emil Gerbeaud, inventor of the Cat tongue chocolate.

They are produced from milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate.[14]

The first cat tongue (Macskanyelv) was made in Budapest by the Swiss-born Hungarian patissier Emil Gerbeaud in the late 1880s.[15] The delicacy is still produced by Szerencsi and other companies such as Sweetness and Szamos. It is considered an authentic Hungarian sweet.[16]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cat tongues (biscuits).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cat tongues (chocolate bars).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g The Pastry Chef's Companion – Glenn Rinsky, Laura Halpin Rinsky. p. 53.
  2. ^ Bonjour, Happiness!: Secrets to Finding Your Joew de Vivre – Jamie Cat Callan. p. 187.
  3. ^ Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking with a French Accent – Ellise Pierce. p. 221.
  4. ^ "KUE LIDAH KUCING". kuenusantara.blogspot.com. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Quirino, Elizabeth Ann. "The Happy Home Cook: Lenguas de Gato - Thin Butter Cookies". Positively Filipino. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Lexique culinaire - Langue-de-chat" (in French). Gastronomiac. 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  7. ^ Dings, René (2019). Van Appelbol tot Zeeuwse bolus: Gebakwoordenboek - Kattentong. Singel Uitgeverijen. ISBN 978-90-388-0757-7.
  8. ^ "Línguas de Gato". 2014.
  9. ^ a b c Living Gluten and Dairy-Free with French Gourmet Food – Alain Braux. p. 233.
  10. ^ Daft, R. (2008). Menu Del Dia: More Than 100 Classic, Authentic Recipes From Across Spain. Simon & Schuster. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-4165-7961-8.
  11. ^ The well-tooled kitchen – Fred Bridge, Jean F. Tibbetts. p. 168.
  12. ^ "ラングドシャ/langue de chat". Gogen Yurai Jiten (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  13. ^ "10 best confectionery gifts in Tokyo: chocolate, cakes, snacks and more". Time Out. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  14. ^ Lebensmittel-Lexikon Dr. Oetker, 4. Aufl. 2004, Artikel Katzenzungen.
  15. ^ About Café Gerbaud. Offbeat Budapest, retrieved on 28 October 2021
  16. ^ magyarorszagom.hu (2023-12-24). "Kedvenc gyerekkori világhírű, magyar édességünk: A macskanyelv". magyarorszagom.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-06-21.