Crumble

Lore & Background

Crumble and crisp are relatively modern dishes, notably absent from the first edition of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook (1896). Alan Davidson, in The Oxford Companion to Food, found no early cookbook recipes and suggested it was a World War II food recipe. The earliest reference for apple crisp may be in the September 1915 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine, while the first apple crumble recipe may be in the Canadian Farmer's Magazine in February 1917, both featuring a simple streusel topping of flour, sugar, and butter.

Reader's Guide

During World War II, rationing in the UK made it hard to obtain butter for pastry, so the Ministry of Food employed home economists like Marguerite Patten to create alternative recipes using margarine. Food writer Philip Harben called it an unusual dish, but British chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall later described it as a 'national institution'. The addition of oats, nuts, or coconut to the topping began appearing after World War II, though major cookbooks like those of Betty Crocker and Fannie Farmer did not include oats until the mid-1950s. There is ongoing debate over the distinction between crisps and crumbles: some sources claim crisps contain oats or nuts for crunch, while others say the names are now used interchangeably. The dessert remains popular across Britain, Ireland, the Commonwealth, and the United States, where 'apple crisp' is more common.

Did You Know?

• The earliest known apple crisp recipe appeared in the September 1915 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine.
• During World War II, the UK Ministry of Food promoted crumble recipes using margarine instead of rationed butter.
• There is no consensus on whether crisps and crumbles are different desserts; some sources say the inclusion of oats or nuts distinguishes a crisp.