Eight times the volume of raw egg whites — meringue is an edible chemistry experiment whose name remains an etymological mystery.
A light, crisp confection made from whipped egg whites and sugar, baked until dry.
From French meringue, origin uncertain, possibly from German Meringergebäck after Meiringen, a Swiss town, or from Latin merenda meaning afternoon snack Key roots: meringue (French: "uncertain origin").
The Swiss town of Meiringen claims to have invented meringue through a pastry chef named Gasparini around 1600, but French and Italian sources both dispute this. What's undisputed is that the chemistry is remarkable: beating egg whites increases their volume by up to eight times, creating a foam structure that hardens when baked.