madeleine
Scalloped French confection
A madeleine is a small French cake baked in a shell-shaped mold, with a distinctive scalloped appearance and soft, spongy texture.
The cakes are associated with Marcel Proust's novel *In Search of Lost Time*, where the taste of a madeleine dipped in tea triggers an flood of childhood memories.
Because of this famous passage, madeleine has become shorthand for any sensory experience that unexpectedly evokes vivid recollections of the past: The smell of cut grass was my madeleine, transporting me back to summer afternoons at my grandfather's farm. (Capitalized Madeleine is a given name.)
Recalling past experiences
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- sensory memoryMomentary retention of stimuli
- MarcelHeat-styled hair wave
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
recollection · remembrance · narrator · epiphany · awakening · consciousness · reverie · evocative
Absorbent cleaning material
- moldForm-giving container
- batterUncooked cake mixture
- bakingCooking with dry heat
- flourMilled grain powder
eggs · butter · oven · golden-brown · scalloped · ridged · hump · tender
French frontier region
- patisserieFrench pastry shop
- boulangerieFrench bread shop
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- provincialRegional or narrow-minded
classic · regional · heritage · artisan · authentic · recipe · generations
Having much of something
Orchid pod extract
- almondEdible tree nut
- honeyBees' viscous nectar product
- orange blossomCitrus tree's white flower
- rose waterDistilled flower essence
glazed · citrus · brown butter · lavender · pistachio · matcha
reminiscence
Recalling past experiences
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- sensory memoryMomentary retention of stimuli
- MarcelHeat-styled hair wave
flashback · recollection · remembrance · narrator · epiphany · awakening · consciousness · reverie · evocative · associative
sponge
Absorbent cleaning material
flour · eggs · butter · oven · golden-brown · scalloped · ridged · hump · tender · crumbly
Lorraine
French frontier region
- patisserieFrench pastry shop
- boulangerieFrench bread shop
- traditionCustom passed through generations
provincial · classic · regional · heritage · artisan · authentic · recipe · generations
rich
Having much of something
vanilla
Orchid pod extract
- almondEdible tree nut
- honeyBees' viscous nectar product
- orange blossomCitrus tree's white flower
rose water · glazed · citrus · brown butter · lavender · pistachio · matcha
- sweet treatscookie, cupcake, donut, doughnut, fudge
- French Thingsbaguette, beret, Eiffel Tower, croissant, Louvre
- bite-sized treatspetit fours, mini cupcakes, cake pops, donut holes, brownie bites
- pastriescroissant, danish, croissants, butter croissant, eclairs
- mini pastriesmacaron, macarons, profiterole, profiteroles, cream puff
- ProustThe Fugitive, Sodom and Gomorrah, Odette, sensory memory