Neapolitan Rum Babà: History, Information, Interesting Facts

The origins of Babà.

The birth of the Babà dates back to the first half of the eighteenth century and is generally associated with the Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński. This monarch, in addition to being a refined intellectual, had a great passion for food and wine: a passion that he was able to cultivate during his golden exile at Lunéville in Lorraine (*1).
Many sources claim that it was he who invented the famous dessert (*2), wetting a very famous cake from Central Europe, the Kugelhopf (*4), with wine (*3), to make it softer (*5) . Despite this, it would seem that, in truth, the author of this addition was his personal pastry chef: Nicholas Stohrer.
However, it should be emphasized that the Babà, in its primitive form, differed quite a lot from what we know today, starting with the name, which initially was ‘Alì Babà’ (6*), without neglecting the fact that its dough, unlike the one we know today, was enriched with saffron and raisins.

The specialty was very successful when it was served at the palace of Versailles: it was probably Stohrer himself who prepared it. He had followed Marie Leszczyńska, daughter of Stanisław, who was married to King Louis XV. Shortly after, the dessert began to be wet with Rum, taking the name of ‘Baba au Rum’ (‘Rum Babà’) or just ‘Babà’. This should not surprise: the liqueur, coming from the colonies, was at the time all the rage among the French aristocrats. Quite soon, the variations of the dessert became numerous: ‘interpretations’ of the original soaked with different types of liqueur, often accompanied by custard, cream or fruit (*7).

Notes:
*1: Region located in northeastern France.
*2: According to a legend, quoted by many sources as historical evidence, the king wet the Kugelhopf accidentally, in a moment of irritation. Given Leszczyński’s value as a gourmet, it is far more likely (in case) that the modification to the original recipe was intentional.
*3: It was probably Malaga wine, although experiments with Madeira, Tokaj and different types of syrup cannot be excluded.
*4: The Kugelhupf (or ‘Gugelhupf’) is an Austrian sweet specialty: there are many variations of it, with different names, in many European countries. Among them Poland, birthplace of Stanisław Leszczyński, where, coincidentally, it’s known by the name ‘Babka Ponczowa’.
*5: According to some sources, Stanisław Leszczyński suffered from chewing problems and this forced him to find a way to soften the dessert.
*6: It seems that King Stanisław loved the novel ‘Ali Babà and the forty thieves’ so much that he used the name of its main character to baptize the dessert.
*7: The most famous of them was certainly the Babà ‘Savarin’.

The arrival of rum Babà in Naples.

It was the ‘monsù’, the cooks of the aristocratic families (*1), who introduced the Babà in southern Italy during the first half of the nineteenth century. The dessert was much appreciated in Naples, a city that has always been close to France (*2): here it found a second home, undergoing a further evolution compared to the French version.
The changes were related mainly to the dough, made even lighter thanks to a triple leavening, and to the composition of the ‘bagna’ (the ‘wetting’), the liqueur compound used, as for its name, to wet (in Italian ‘bagnare’) the specialty.
The small size of the ‘mushroom’ shaped Babà, soon made of it the most classic ‘strolling dessert’, all the rage among the Neapolitan elite (‘Napoli bene’).

Notes:

*1: The nickname ‘monsù’ indicated the cooks working for the aristocratic families and was the Italianization of the French word ‘monsieur’: that’s because these cooks were sent to France (at the time considered the undisputed reference point for fashion and food) to attend specialization courses.
*2: In this regard, it’s important to remember that, thanks to Maria Carolina of Austria, sister of the famous Marie Antoinette and wife of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, many French specialties became very popular among the Neapolitan nobility. Specialties such as Béchamel and Gâteau (‘Gattò’).

Ingredients and preparation of Neapolitan rum Babà.

Here follows the list of the ingredients used in the preparation of Babà dough and its ‘bagna’ (the ‘wetting’):

The name of Babà.

Babà was originally known as ‘Alì Babà’: name assigned to the dessert by the exiled Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński, a great lover of the fascinating tales of the ‘Thousand and One Nights’. Anyway, it should be noted that the specialty enjoyed by Stanisław was quite different from the one so popular today. The sweet delicacy, over time, would undergo an evolution: it was when it began to be wet with Rum that it started to be called ‘Rum Baba’ (‘Baba au rhum’) or just ‘Babà’.
However, it cannot be excluded that the name is somehow related to the one, very similar, of another dessert of Polish origin: the ‘Babka’.
Even today, the oldest Parisian pastry shop, founded in 1730 by the king’s patissier, Nicolas Stohrer, includes the ‘Alì Babà’ in its menu.

The variants of Babà.

As it often happens, over time variants of the more traditional gastronomic specialties arise. Babà is no exception: nowadays it’s possible to taste it accompanied, for example, by custard, whipped cream or chocolate. It may also happen that the dough is modeled in shapes different from the classic ones or that it’s enriched with a filling.
One of the most recent examples of these tasty alternatives is the ‘Babà with Limoncello’, flavored with lemon liqueur and cream: not surprisingly this delicacy is originally from the island of Capri and the Amalfi Coast.

The ‘Babà Savarin’.

One of the most famous and appreciated variations of Babà is certainly the ‘Babà Savarin’ (*1), a dessert invented during the first half of the nineteenth century by the Julien brothers, famous Parisian pastry chefs, who chose its name in honor of the gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (*2).
Its dough differs from that of the classic Babà for the presence of milk, an ingredient that makes it lighter and more spongy. The specialty has the shape of a great donut, wet with rum (*3), and brushed with apricot jam.
The center of the donut is filled with a fruit salad that can be garnished in many ways (*4).

Notes:

The beauty of Naples.

Below, some images showing all the beauty of Naples, the city of Babà.

‘Kugelhopf’, the ancestor of rum Babà.

‘Kugelhopf’ (or ‘Gugelhupf’) is the name used in many central European countries and especially in Alsace, for a particular type of cake (*1). This dessert can boast a very ancient tradition and is served mainly during the holidays. It has a toroidal shape, quite high, which may recall a skirt. It consists of leavened dough, rich in butter, and generally stuffed with raisins. There are many variations of this specialty in other European countries that include other ingredients: among them, for example, the Polish ‘Babka’ and the Czechoslovakian ‘Bábovka’.

Note:
*1: According to many scholars, this dessert could be related to the Italian ‘Pandoro’.

Naples, the ‘city of the sun’, is the county seat of Campania region. Its origins date back to the 8th Century BC.

THE MOST TRADITIONAL PASTRY SHOPS

This article is made in collaboration with:

Opened in Naples in 1905, Patisserie Scaturchio is unanimously recognized as the custodian of the tradition of Neapolitan Babà.

Opened in Paris in 1730 by Nicolas Stohrer, the father of Babà, Patisserie Stohrer is the oldest in the city.

Neapolitan rum Babà: the video.

Here follows an interesting video, made by Patisserie Scaturchio, showing the preparation of Neapolitan Babà.

Originally Babà had a circular ‘bell’ shape, which (generally) had a hole in the center and grooves on the sides.
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Music for rum Babà.

The music of Roberto Murolo, one of the most famous Neapolitan singers of all time, is the ideal soundtrack to accompany the reading of this article:

Note: join Spotify and listen to the full songs.

The dialectal sentence ‘Sì nù Babà’ (‘You are a Babà’) is frequently used in the city of Naples.
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As always happens, it’s difficult to recommend desserts in a hypocaloric diet. Babà is no exception. The average calorie content in a 100 grams portion can vary, roughly, between 230 Kcals and 260 Kcals. The specialty contains carbohydrates (sugars), fats, salt, and proteins.

The right wine to accompany a tasty portion of Neapolitan rum Babà should be sweet, with a good acidity, soft and aromatic. A Moscato d’Asti or a Fior d’Arancio from the Euganean Hills could be a great choice. Alternatively, you can opt for some Rum.

Address: P.zza S. Domenico Maggiore, 19
80134 Naples – Italy
Website: www.scaturchio.it
Mail: info@scaturchio.it
Tel.: +39 081 551 7031

Address: 51, rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris – France
Website: www.stohrer.fr
Mail: contact@stohrer.fr
Tel.: +33 1 42 33 38 20