What does flan mean?
Flan is a sweet dessert made from a milk-and-egg custard that is baked until firm, usually in a pastry- or biscuit-lined dish. The finished dessert is commonly served cold, either in slices or as individual portions, and can be plain, flavored with vanilla or spices, or combined with fruit. In Britain, the word is especially familiar for this baked custard, while it is also widely used in North America and other English-speaking regions. Flan may sometimes be described as a custard pie or custard tart, and related preparations can be called fruit flan when fruit is added to the filling. Its characteristic smooth, creamy texture and golden or caramelized surface make it a familiar part of British-style dessert tables. The word entered English through French and originally referred to a flat cake, reflecting its long culinary history.
nounA sweet baked custard, usually made with eggs and milk and set in a pastry or biscuit-lined dish. It is commonly served cold in slices and may be flavored with fruit, vanilla, or other ingredients.
- A sweet baked custard dish, usually made with eggs and milk in a pastry or biscuit-lined dish.
"We finished lunch with a slice of vanilla flan and fresh berries."
"The bakery sells a lemon flan with a thin layer of shortcrust pastry."
"For dessert, she served a perfectly smooth caramel flan."
Use flans for separate individual desserts or servings; flan is commonly uncountable when referring to the dish as a category.
"The caterer prepared six small flans for the party."
Flan traveled into English from French, where its name originally referred to a flat cake.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does flan come from?
The English word flan comes from French flan, meaning a flat or open cake or tart. French borrowed it from Old French flaon, which developed from a Late Latin form associated with flatus, a flattened or baked cake. That Latin word belongs to a family connected with Latin flare, “to blow,” reflected in English words such as inflate, deflate, flatus, and inflation. The modern English meaning developed through the culinary tradition of baked custards and pastry dishes.
How flan is actually used
Flan is common in British English and is also well established in American English. In the United States, it may be called baked custard or custard pie, although flan is the usual concise term. As a food, it is often treated as an uncountable dish name; when referring to separate servings or individual pieces, the plural flans is used.