croquembouche
/ˌkɹɒkɒmˈbuːʃ/
croquembouche means A French dessert made by piling profiteroles and other crunchy sweets in a tall shape, then pouring caramel over them to hold them in place. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
croquembouche is pronounced /ˌkɹɒkɒmˈbuːʃ/.
Why “croquembouche” is a great word
A conical tower of cream-filled choux pastry puffs bound together with threads of caramel. Its name is borrowed from French *croquembouche*, an assimilated form of *croque en bouche*, literally meaning '(it) crunches in the mouth.' Unlike a 'profiterole,' which is a solitary, democratic treat, or a '*pièce montée*,' which can be any decorative culinary sculpture, the croquembouche is a specific, edible architecture of accumulation. It is the golden lattice of hardened sugar catching the light, the precarious geometry of each cream-laden sphere, and the satisfying, messy shatter of the caramel cage under a spoon—a monument built for the sole purpose of its own delicious destruction.
Etymology
Borrowed from French croquembouche (literally “crunch-in-mouth”).
noun
- A French dessert made by piling profiteroles and other crunchy sweets in a tall shape, then pouring caramel over them to hold them in place.