Ramekin is thought to come from a Dutch word for "toast" or the German for "little cream."




Name

Ramekin

Variant

Ramequin, Ramekin dish.

Pronounced

(ramə kin)[RAM-ih-kihn]ræməkin

Function

English Noun

Plural

Ramekins

Hypernym

A type of dish

Purpose

Cooking

Etymology

French Ramequin from Low German ramken, diminutive of cream, circa 1706. middle Dutch rammeken (cheese dish) dialect variant of rom (cream), similar to old English ream and German rahm. Ancient French cookbooks refer to ramekins as being garnished fried bread.


Meaning

1. A food mixture, (casserole) specifically a preparation of cheese, especially with breadcrumbs and/or eggs or unsweetened pastry baked on a mould or shell.

2. With a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 oz), it is a small fireproof glass or earthenware individual dish similar in size and shape to a cup, or mould used for cooking or baking and serving sweet or savoury foods.

3. Formerly the name given to toasted cheese; now tarts filled with cream cheese.

4. A young child usually between the ages of 3 months and 11 years exhibiting a compulsion to force or "ram" their head into various objects and structures.

These days, a ramekin is generally regarded as a small single serve heatproof serving bowl used in the preparation or serving of various food dishes, designed to be put into hot ovens and to withstand high temperatures. They were originally made of ceramics but have also been made of glass or porcelain, commonly in a round shape with an angled exterior ridged surface. Ramekins have more lately been standardized to a size with a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 ounce) and are now used for serving a variety of sweet and savoury foods, both entrée and desert.

They are also an attractive addition to the table for serving nuts,dips and other snacks. Because they are designed to hold a serving for just one person, they are usually sold in sets of four, six, or eight. Ramekins now are solid white, round, with a fluted texture covering the outside, and a small lip. Please bear in mind that whatever you ask for them on Internet auction sites, someone is still getting the same thing in an op shop for peanuts.

However, there are hundreds of decorative ramekins that came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They came in countless colours and finishes and many were made by our leading artists and ceramicists. My collection has ramekins with One handle only, fixed to the body at one point only. If it has no handle, it is a bowl. If it has two, it is a casserole dish. But the glory day of the Australian Studio Art ramekin is well and truly over. See some here, ask questions or leave answers.

P.S. Remember, just as real men don't eat quiche, real ramekins don't have lids or two handles. Also remember, two handles makes it a casserole dish. Also, please note If it aint got a handle, it's just a bowl.

P.P.S. To all you cretins who advertise your ramekins by associating them with "Eames" or "Eames Era". Get your hand off it, you are not kidding anyone. The Eames people have told me that they never made ramekins.

P.P.P.s To all the illiterates out there in cyberspace, just as there is no "I" in team, there is no "G" in Ramekin. I am the Rameking, they are ramekins.

If you have a set of Grandma's ramekins at the back of a kitchen cupboard, have a look through the site, maybe you will identify them. Thank-you for looking.

There are many of you out there that have knowledge of Australian pottery. Please let me know if you have anything that I can add to the notes. It is important to get the information recorded. You probably know something that nobody else does.

Please note that while your comments are most welcome, any that contain a link to another site will no longer be published.

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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Aegitna






Designer        
Saltalmacchia
Maker
Aegitna
Marks
Stamped “Aegitna Villauris Made in France”
Description
Shallow clay bowl with knob handle and small pouring lip on rim.
Condition
Fair condition for age, mottled finish due to condition of clay.  Ochre gloss glaze to interior and exterior of bowl and handle.  Dark brown tip to handle.  Unglazed flat base.
Number

Production Date
Early 1980s
Width
120mm
Depth
45mm
Length (with handle)
180mm
Weight
310gm
Volume
300ml
Acquisition
E-Bay 4-April 2012
Rameking Reference Number
AEG 001-003

France has two major pottery producing areas.  One is on the west coast in Brittany, centred on the town of Quimper and the other is on the eastern border with Italy in the Alpes Maratime.  These are from the east.  AEGITNA was begun in the pottery town of Vallauris in France's Alpes Maritime region in 1920 by the young Placide Joseph Saltalmacchia.  The town, known in Roman times as Cordula is now an extension of Antibes (Roman Antipolis) and is located about 30 miles from Nice.  Historically, Aegitna was a town of the Oxybii located near Antibes mentioned in the Ligurian war, (Complete Histories of Polibius XXXIII), believed to be the early name for Cannes.  From 1948 until 1955 Pablo Picasso lived in Villauris, leading to a renaissance of the pottery industry there.  Some of his works are still seen there by tourists today.  


 The abundance of clay and timber in the area has supported a pottery industry for centuries.  The bronze statue of “Man with a Sheep”, Picasso's gift to the town, stands in the main square and marketplace, Place de la Libération, beside the church and castle.   The castle of Vallauris is the former priory of the Abbey of Lerins, built in the 16th century.  It contains the National Picasso Museum.  An international biennale of contemporary ceramics is also held in the town.
Note the ramekins on display
Pottery has been made in the area for centuries and blossomed during the 19th Century, particularly Massier and Foucard Jourdan.  Today the main street, avenue Georges is almost entirely pottery shops.  Modern Vallaurus is lead glazed earthenware, often highly coloured.  Domestic tableware and cooking pots feature.  Four members of the Saltalmacchia family have worked in Subreville street in the town between 1877 and 1936.  Placide Joseph Salatalmacchia, born 1903 worked at Aegitna from 1920 until 1977 when he was replaced by his son Joseph.  Joseph continued until 1988 and was replaced by Grand daughters Gaby and  Nicole Honorine who is a self-taught sculptor.  Aegitna’s other pottery is very collectable, particularly their colourful oyster plates.




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