In brief
- Tourment d'amour is a small Guadeloupean tartlet with shortcrust pastry and sponge cake, filled with jam
- Origin: the Saintes Islands, in Guadeloupe
- Key ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, brown sugar, coconut jam
- A dessert shared with family, especially during the patronal feast on 15 August in Terre-de-Haut
Origins and cultural history of tourment d'amour
Tourment d'amour was born in Terre-de-Haut, in the Saintes archipelago, south of Guadeloupe. According to local oral tradition, fishermen's wives prepared this round tartlet to welcome their husbands home after a day of fishing at sea, following the wait and worry of their absence: the cake's name is said to come from this torment of waiting.
Every year, on 15 August, the day of Terre-de-Haut's patronal feast, residents hold a competition for the most beautiful or the largest tourment d'amour, a tradition that keeps alive this link between the cake and the identity of the archipelago.
What are the key ingredients of tourment d'amour
Making tourment d'amour relies on two pastries, a shortcrust and a sponge, and a jam filling, simple ingredients found in most African and Caribbean grocery shops, including NKOSI.
- flour
- unsalted butter
- eggs
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- coconut, guava or banana jam
What to know about the tourment d'amour
The tourment d'amour is a small Guadeloupean tartlet born in Terre-de-Haut, in the Saintes islands. It combines a shortcrust pastry and a sponge cake, made with flour, unsalted butter, eggs and brown cane sugar, and a jam filling: coconut for the original version, guava or banana for the variants. According to local oral tradition, fishermen's wives made it to welcome their husbands back from fishing, and its name would come from the torment of waiting. Every 15 August, the day of the patron saint festival, the residents hold a contest for the most beautiful or the biggest tourment d'amour.
Frequently asked questions about tourment d'amour
Why is it called tourment d'amour?
According to the oral tradition of Terre-de-Haut, the name comes from the torment experienced by fishermen's wives while waiting for their husbands to return from the sea: the tartlet they prepared for his return kept the name of this wait.
Which jam should be used for tourment d'amour?
The original version, in the Saintes, is made with coconut jam. Guava jam and banana jam are two equally common variants in Guadeloupe: the choice comes down to taste.
Where to find the ingredients for tourment d'amour in France?
NKOSI sells the brown sugar, cinnamon and jam for this recipe on nkosiagro.com, and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
