Tart
An open-topped baked dish with a pastry base.
A tart is a baked dish with a filling set on a pastry base, its top left open and uncovered by pastry. The base is typically shortcrust pastry, and the filling can be either sweet or savory, though today’s tarts are most often fruit-based, sometimes with custard. A tartlet is a small tart, such as an egg tart. The terms "tart," "flan," and "pie" have overlapping meanings, with no clear boundaries between them.
The French word *tarte* typically refers to an open-faced pastry in French culinary tradition, while a fully enclosed pie is denoted by *tourte* or *pâté en croûte*, so equating *tarte* with both pie and tart can be misleading. Tarts likely originated either from a tradition of layering food or from medieval pie-making. Enriched dough, like shortcrust, came into common use sometime after the 15th century, though a precise date of 1550 is not reliably supported by authoritative sources. At that time, tarts were seen as high cuisine, favored by nobility, in contrast to the commoner’s pie. Though early tarts were savory, often with meat fillings, changing tastes led sweet tarts to become more common, filled instead with fruit and custard. An early example is the Italian crostata, dating to at least the mid-15th century.
- type
- Baked dish
- pastry
- Shortcrust pastry
- earliest_known_form
- Italian crostata, mid-15th century
- common_fillings
- Fruit, custard, jam, meat (historically)
- varieties
- Treacle tart, meringue tart, tarte tatin, Bakewell tart, quiche, crostata, onion tarts, Swiss cheese tart
Lore & Background
Tarts are thought to have either come from a tradition of layering food or to be a product of medieval pie making. Enriched dough (i.e. shortcrust) came into common use sometime after the 15th century, though a precise date of 1550 is not reliably supported by authoritative sources. In this period, they were viewed as high-cuisine, popular with nobility, in contrast to the view of a commoner's pie. While originally savory, with meat fillings, culinary tastes led to sweet tarts prevailing, filling tarts instead with fruit and custard. Early medieval tarts generally had meat fillings, but later ones were often based on fruit and custard.
An early tart was the Italian crostata, dating to at least the mid-15th century. It has been described as a 'rustic free-form version of an open fruit tart'. Tarts are typically free-standing with firm pastry base consisting of dough, itself made of flour, thick filling, and perpendicular sides while pies may have softer pastry, looser filling, and sloped sides, necessitating service from the pie plate.
There are many types of tarts, with popular varieties including Treacle tart, meringue tart, tarte tatin and Bakewell tart. A jam tart uses jam in place of fresh fruit. Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart, of apples, other fruit, or onions. Savoury tarts include quiche, a family of savoury tarts with a mostly custard filling; Italian Crostata, German Zwiebelkuchen and Alsace Tarte à l'oignon or Zewelwaï (onion tarts), and Swiss cheese tart made from Gruyère.
Reader's Guide
Tarts occupy a distinct place in culinary history as a baked dish that evolved alongside pies and flans, with overlapping categories but a defining characteristic: an open top not covered with pastry. The French word 'tarte' can translate to either pie or tart, but tarts leave the filling exposed. Their development from medieval pie making or a layering tradition remains uncertain. The introduction of shortcrust pastry around 1550 elevated tarts to high-cuisine status among nobility, contrasting with commoner pies. Originally savory with meat, tarts shifted to sweet fruit and custard fillings over time. The Italian crostata, dating to at least the mid-15th century, is an early example. Tarts are typically free-standing with firm, perpendicular sides, unlike pies with sloped sides. Varieties range from sweet (Treacle tart, tarte Tatin, Bakewell tart) to savoury (quiche, onion tarts, Swiss cheese tart). Their legacy lies in their versatility and enduring popularity across cultures, from medieval noble tables to modern bakeries.
Did You Know?
- In French culinary tradition, 'tarte' typically refers to an open-faced pastry, while 'tourte' or 'pâté en croûte' denotes a fully enclosed pie.
- Shortcrust pastry came into common use sometime after the 15th century, though a precise date of 1550 is not reliably supported by authoritative sources.
- An early tart was the Italian crostata, dating to at least the mid-15th century.
- Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart made with apples, other fruit, or onions.
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