Fruit fool


A fool is an English dessert. Traditionally, fruit fool is made by folding pureed stewed fruit into sweet custard. Modern fool recipes often skip the traditional custard and use whipped cream. Additionally, a flavouring agent like rose water may be added.

History and etymology

Foole is first mentioned as a dessert in 1598, although the origins of gooseberry fool may date back to the 15th century. The earliest recipe for fruit fool dates to the mid 17th century. Why the word "fool" is used as the name of this fruit dessert is not clear. Several authors derive it from the French verb fouler meaning "to crush" or "to press", but this derivation is dismissed by the Oxford English Dictionary as baseless and inconsistent with the early use of the word.
Another possible, indeed plausible, origin of the word is that it is derived from the Arabic dish known as a ful, or foul. A ful is a common Middle Eastern dish that has been around since Biblical times, most commonly made from cooked softened and mashed beans, flavoured with garlic or spices or even cream or laban. While the ingredients may be different, the concept and preparation of the Middle Eastern vegetable foul and the English fruit fool are remarkably similar, suggesting that this is the origin of the term.

Variations

Originally, the most common fruit ingredient in fools was gooseberries, although other fruits, vegetables and berries are known from early recipes, e.g., apples, strawberries, rhubarb and raspberries. Modern recipes may include any seasonal fruit readily found, but gooseberry fool remains the perennial favorite.
Norfolk fool is an old local variation of the fruit fool which seems to treat the fruit content more as a secondary ingredient, adding it at the end of the recipe.