The story of pavlova from ballet to sweet delight
The contrast between snowy white meringue and colorful fresh fruits cordially invites all dessert lovers to appreciate the stunning beauty and the special flavor of pavlova known as “pav” among the New Zealander for a long time. Aside from its gorgeous appearance and enchanting taste, the story behind the creation of the heavenly delight is truly captivating as well.
Tracing back to 1920 BC, New Zealand welcomed Anna Pavlova, the famous ballerina from Russia, which greatly astonished the people of New Zealand. With her fluttering movements like the wind and light as the air, a pastry chef at Welling Hotel got a bright idea to create meringue cake with a crisp exterior where the top is covered with meringue and light yet smooth cream strikingly garnished with fresh berries such as strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry or the national juicy fruit like kiwi, with an intention to honor the foreign female ballet dancer. The pavlova recipe later on had gained widespread popularity among the pastry chefs and eventually made it to the dessert menu of the New Zealand, especially for special occasions and festivals
Pavlova appears to have an inflated shape similar to the gentleness of the ballet skirt. The fruits represent the liveliness of Anna Pavlova who can enchant the audience to revel in the classical art of ballet. New Zealand popularly makes pavlova during Christmas. Since countries in the Southern Hemisphere like New Zealand and Australia fall in the summer, pavlova is commonly served freezing cold and beautifully garnished with seasonal fruits on top.