a very light American cake, unusual because it uses oil instead of a solid fat. Flour, sugar, and baking powder are mixed together, and then oil, egg yolks, and water, with a flavouring (vanilla, lemon peel, spice), are beaten in. Finally, very stiffly whisked egg whites are folded into the mixture. The cake is baked in an oblong or ring tin.
Mariani (1994) explains that ‘chiffon pie’ first appeared in print in N. America in 1929, to be followed soon afterwards by ‘lemon chiffon’, but that chiffon cake came later and, according to one source which he cites, ‘was invented by a professional baker and introduced in May, 1948’: the first basically new cake for 100 years.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Mariani, John (1994), The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, 2nd rev edn, New York: Hearst.
