Mendiants

Mendiants are a traditional Provencal confection eaten at Christmas, alongside the thirteen desserts that are the regional Christmas tradition of Provence. The name — mendiants means beggars in French — refers to the four monastic orders whose traditional begging colors the four classic toppings represented: figs for the Franciscans, almonds for the Carmelites, hazelnuts for the Augustinians, and raisins for the Dominicans. The confection consists of a thin disc of dark chocolate topped with one of each of the four, originally as a religious symbol. The mendiant is documented as part of the thirteen desserts of the Provencal Christmas, which also include nougat, pompe a l'huile, and fresh fruit.

A mendiant is a small disc of dark chocolate, snapped cleanly under the tooth, with one each of a fig, an almond, a hazelnut, and a raisin set on top. The chocolate is dark and slightly bitter; the toppings provide contrasting sweetness, crunch, and chew. Eaten in one or two bites, it is a small study in the pairing of chocolate with fruit and nut.

The mendiant rests on tempered chocolate and contrasting toppings. Dark chocolate is melted and tempered — heated and cooled to specific temperatures so that the cocoa butter crystallizes in the stable Form V, which gives the chocolate its snap, its gloss, and its resistance to blooming. Discs are piped or spread onto a sheet and topped immediately, while the chocolate is still fluid, with a fig quarter, an almond, a hazelnut, and a raisin. The chocolate sets around the toppings as it cools, holding them in place. The choice of toppings — originally the four monastic symbols — provides the contrast of textures: the chew of the dried fig and raisin against the crunch of the almond and hazelnut. The four toppings can vary, but the principle of contrast between chocolate and fruit-and-nut is the constant.