Monkey bread
Monkey bread, also called sticky bread, African coffee cake, golden crown, pinch-me cake, bubbleloaf and monkey brains is a sticky, gooey pastry served in the United States for breakfast.[1]
[edit] Name
The origin of the term monkey bread is uncertain. Possible etymologies include that the bread resembles the monkey puzzle tree,[2] or the act of several people pulling at the bread is reminiscent of monkey behavior.[citation needed] The packaging of a stoneware "Monkey Pot" made by Boston Warehouse in 1981 claimed that "monkey bread was named by that unique and whimsical comedienne, ZaSu Pitts, who so referred to it because, as she said, "you have to monkey around with it."
[edit] Origins
Recipes for the bread first appeared in American women's magazines and community cookbooks in the 1950s, and the dish is still virtually unknown outside the United States. The bread is made with pieces of sweet yeast dough (often frozen) which are baked in a cake pan at high heat after first being individually covered in melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and chopped pecans.[3] It is traditionally served hot so that the baked segments can be easily torn away with the fingers and eaten by hand.
There is also a reference to monkey bread (pain de singe in French) in De Wildeman 1903. This is the fruit pulp obtained from the Boabab tree (Adansonia digitata).
[edit] References
- ^ "House of the Rising Bun". Good Eats (Food Network). 2006-04-07. No. EA1003, season 10.
- ^ "The Food Timeline: history notes". http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodbreads.html#monkeybread. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
- ^ Brown, Alton (2006). "Overnight Monkey Bread". "Good Eats" Recipes. Food Network. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_33874,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
4. De Wildeman, E. (1903) Notices sur des plantes utiles ou intéressantes de la flore du Congo. Volume 1. Bruxelles
