What Is Crème Brûlée?

^th century. Most historians believe that it was created in the Middle Ages and not given a name until the French decided to brand it. (Photo courtesy of flickr/LollysSweetTreats).

The exact origin of this sweet is not known. England, Spain, and France all claim to have created the first version of the dessert.  The English claim that during the 17^th century, a young student from Trinity College in Cambridge offered a creamy unsweetened custard with a caramel topping to a peer. The cooking staff got ahold of this delicacy and burnt the sugar as a topping, effectively "brulee-ing" it. 

^th century, is crème brûlée's descendent. Unlike crème brûlée, Crème Catalana isn't baked, but instead served as cold custard with a hot topping. (Photo courtesy of flickr/sim00n).