bombé
10 years ago No Comments

(pronounced bahm-BAY or bo(n)-BAY)

I’m sorry, but when I hear this word all I can think of is “Calling Dr. Bombay! Emergency! Come right away!” from the late 60s / early 70s TV show Bewitched. But ignore that reference because this fun little French word has nothing to do with eccentric, randy, peripatetic warlocks. No, bombé is a French term meaning curving or bulging outward, possessing outward curving lines. However, the term is primarily associated with furniture, usually chests of drawers. Why? Because the bulbous, shapely, swollen form is typical of French chests and commodes of Louis XV. (So why do we have photos of desserts here? Because the culinary world also uses the term to describe an array of perfectly plump, succulent little sweet treats. And because we love food.)

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