Tart Vs. Torte, Differences And When To Use These Words

Have you ever wondered if there is a difference between a tart and a torte? A tart is made with a sweet or savory filling in an open pastry base that could be baked. On the other hand, a torte is a cake prepared with no flour that could also have various fillings.

We usually use the word tart to describe a baking dish filling over a pastry base. Even though it could have a savory taste, it is usually a sweetened shortcrust made with eggs and sweetened with sugar. Torte, on the other hand, is a rich, layered cake made only with eggs.

Keep reading to learn the difference between these two tasty foods, as well as how these words should be applied accordingly.

What Is A Tart?

Typically, tarts consist of a small round base made out of pastry, surrounded by a thin, lightweight wall. The pastry is made with light flour dough or a solid shortcrust crumble. It has a thick filling, usually sweet, and perpendicular sides. Typically, people serve tarts as an open crust with various fillings like fruits, custards, or creams. There are also savory fillings that are usually served warm.

A tart is made to be filled and kept open without a top crust. Each component is generally made separately and assembled after the crust is done. We will then add the filling of our choice, and depending on what we choose, the tart could be baked together with the crust or left to chill. If the tart is made as a large pie, people may prepare it to be eaten in several pieces, sliced appropriately.

If we are preparing to serve this as a cold dish, we may want to blind bake the tart to cook the shell before putting cold ingredients inside. Alternatively, the tart can be filled before baking, so that both the filling and the surface bake simultaneously. This is generally served as a giant dessert or, in some countries, as the main meal.

Tart Origin

Tart came from France as a reference to the original word ‘Tarte.’ It was translated as a similar concept for “pie”: a pastry-covered filling. But tarts are made to be left open.

Tarts are associated with a different variety of layering foods or as a medieval product. This word was first used in 1550, approximately 200 years after pies were created. During this period, they were viewed as high-cuisine, popular with royalty. Pies were more commonly associated with peasant society everywhere else.

While tarts were originally savory, filled with meat, culinary tastes led to sweet tarts as a preference, stuffed with fruit and custard. So much so that they began to be associated with the sweetness of the fruit. Nowadays, we use a combination of both, depending on our preference. In the late 15th century, in countries like Croatia, the word tart described a “rustic free-form version of an open fruit tart.”

Although the origin of the modern word fruit tart is uncertain, it is known that numerous pastry doughs produced by French and Italian Renaissance cooks are still used today. In the late 1800s, the Tatin sisters in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, created the first fruit tart to be recognized as a unique dessert for the restaurant at their hotel.

For decades, the tarts were a bit complicated to make since many electric appliances had not been invented. However, today anyone could make fruit tarts in any kitchen because they are simple to create. It’s easier than you may think, and it’s well worth the effort. All you need is a detachable bottom French tart pan, a stand mixer, and a food processor.

The results from French tart pans are spectacular, but you must handle them with care. First, it is essential to lift them by the edges at all times. Then, when it’s time to serve, the removable bottom makes it simple to take off the rim and set the tart on a plate. If you try to raise the pan by the base before that, the edge will come off, and the tart will fall to the floor.

The Etymology Of The Word Tart

In the late 14th century, the word tart came from the old French as a possible alteration of torte, from Late Latin “torta” that meant a “round loaf of bread” (in Medieval Latin, “a cake, tart”). Possibly from the past participle of torquere “to twist” (from PIE root *terkw- “to twist”).

In the 1520s, it was also used from old English as ‘teart’ with a symbolic use to explain something painful, sharp, severe, or rough. But in the 1600s, in middle English, tart became associated with the word tartness.

Around 1864, ‘tart’ was linked to the evolution of a girl into a woman and related to her sexuality. The word was sometimes used as a term of endearment, meaning ‘sweetheart.’ Later on, in 1887, it began to be associated with an immoral woman or prostitutes. Another theory for the word came from the British term ‘jam-tart,’ considered slang at the time, meaning attractive woman.

Related Words

Terms like pie, flan, quiche, tarte, or a tartelette can be associated with tart because they are considered similar.

Another similar term is tartlet, a smaller-sized portion of a tart. It is a single, bite-sized version of a giant tart, and it’s usually served as an appetizer. Alternatively, it can be larger than bite-sized and cut into individual dessert servings.

How To Use ‘tart’ In Writing?

Tart, as an adjective, describes a sour taste, such as lemon. It could also mean harsh words, like your friend’s tart response to a question that irritates her. Based on the references previously stated, we will use the word tart depending on the concept. However, it is generally used in the category of desserts.

Some examples of the word tart in sentences for reference are:

• The dessert menu includes a variety of options ranging from vegan cheesecake to papaya tart.

• A charred oak flavor distinguishes merlots produced between 2000 and 2005 in addition to the tart, dark cherry bite that distinguishes Marilyn Merlot.

• The wine is quite tart.

• I didn’t put enough sugar in the lemonade, so it’s now far too tart.

What Is A Torte?

Tortes are known for being a type of cake that is baked with different ingredients. It is primarily made with several eggs and grated nuts or breadcrumbs. It does not contain a lot of flour and can be covered in sweet frosting. Additionally, they could also be decorated with berries or cream.

A torte has a circular and flat shape. Typically, it consists of multiple layers of whipped cream, buttercream, mousse, jam, or fruits. They are commonly baked in a springform pan. Sponge torte is a commonly used base, but cake layers in a torte can be made with little to no flour, using ingredients such as groundnuts or breadcrumbs. There is a cooled torte that is originally glazed and garnished.

All kinds of cakes and tortes in French cuisine are made from eight basic doughs. Some examples are short pastry, flake pastry, and sweet pastry. In addition, there exists a wide variety of flavors and garnishings.

Torte is a rich cake that is popular throughout Europe. It is often made up of many thin layers and contains a combination of nuts, fruits, creme, and chocolate. Two Vienna hotels are currently fighting to be recognized as the first ones to create this delicious food.

Torte Origin

In 1748 the Germans began to use this word to reference a “sweet cake” from the earlier word ‘torte,’ which meant “round cake or round bread.” Pastry chef Franz Sacher invented the Sachertorte in the Austrian capital of Vienna in 1832. Although the official court pastry chef was ill, Prince Klemens von Metternich, heir to a wealthy family of Jewish hoteliers, asked Sacher to prepare a special dessert for a guest.

The Austrian Sachertorte and Linzertorte, the German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, and the multi-layered Hungarian Dobos torte are among the most well-known tortes. Tortes include well-known European desserts like the French Gâteau St. Honoré.

Various tortes are associated with specific celebrations throughout Europe and the United States, such as the French Twelfth Night torte, the German Easter torte, and the American Christmas fruitcake. The nature of the wedding cake came originally from the idea of the torte, which is customary throughout the Western world and varies by country.

Cakes are commonly referred to as tortes in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Russia, with no distinction between cake and torte. Torte, for example, is translated into Polish as tort. Tort can also be translated as a layer cake or cream cake.

Final Thoughts

In short, a torte has a circular and flat shape. Typically, it consists of multiple layers of whipped cream, buttercream, mousse, jam, or fruits. They are commonly baked in a springform pan. On the other hand, tarts consist of a small round base made out of pastry, surrounded by a thin, lightweight wall. We hope you found this article both instructive and entertaining.