Soufflé Dishes

The Ramequinform was invented around 1200 in Avignon, France, for the Cuisine Provençale and was intended as a petit plat servant à la cuisson au four to improve the success of the Pâtisserie au Fromage. A small dish for baking the special cheese pastry from the region around Avignon. As cookers and ovens were still wood-fired at this time, the residual heat was used to mature delicate cheese pâtés slowly and gently. Conventional ceramic pots with a smooth surface were not sufficient to allow the sinking oven heat to penetrate the food for long enough. Nevertheless, it was necessary to stick with a clay dish, as iron or copper cooking vessels gave off an unpleasant flavour. According to tradition, a monk of the Moyen Âge monastery, who was learned in physics, came up with the idea of doubling the outer surface of an earthen oven dish by pottering it with pronounced grooves. In 1257, the monastery brought a large basket of culinary greetings from Provence in honour of King Charles I of Anjou, all of which were prepared and served in ramequins.

Around 1820, the Royal Porcelain Manufactory Louis Lourioux adopted the fluted technique and produced ramequin dishes made of fine porcelain for the first time. The cooking results were overwhelming and the triumphal march of the ramequin around the world began. Hardly any other kitchen porcelain can tell an older or more exciting story. From this point of view, it really doesn't deserve to be called a pudding bowl or kitchen pot!

Holst Porzellan still produces the ramequin and pie moulds from a high-quality porcelain paste based on the old models from the Moyen Âge monastery and attaches great importance to a clear expression of the cooking ribs. We don't call a simple pot a ramequin just because it has a hint of fluting.