Which Fancy Dessert Is The Most Overrated? - Tasting Table Survey

With the abundance of sweets in the modern world, it can be hard to believe that there was once a time without dessert. According to Love to Know, civilizations across time have enjoyed fruits and treats flavored with honey or nuts, but it wasn't until recent centuries that part of our meal was designated to satisfy our sweet tooth.

Food & Wine reports that it wasn't until the 1600s that sugar plantations located in colonized nations gave wealthy Europeans easier access to the ingredient, allowing them to develop new sweets to be presented to guests as their own course. This was epitomized by the fine dining culture that developed at the French court of Versailles, where elaborate cakes, pastries, and sculpted sugar decorated the overburdened tables and influenced the future course of meals in the western world.

Today, there are plenty of examples of extravagant desserts that are still trying to match this luxury, like Serendipity 3's $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae (via First We Feast). But for all of the lavishness represented by this indulgent final course, there are some that don't seem to be worth the hype or expense. To find out which desserts people are possibly better off skipping, Tasting Table surveyed 588 people living in the U.S.

Let's be honest, some desserts just aren't all they're cracked up to be. Mousse is great if prepared correctly but it often just seems like plain old pudding and treats that are trying too hard to come across as elegant frequently disappoint. In a survey of 588 people living in the U.S., Tasting Table found that there is plenty of consensus on what fancy dessert is overrated.

34% of respondents said that they feel macarons are the most overrated fancy dessert. Though the butter-creme-filled cookies may evoke Parisian sophistication, apparently they often just don't cut it for many. The second most overrated dessert, according to our survey, is crème brûlée, which had 21% of the vote. The results were close between soufflé and tarte tatin, which came in third and fourth, respectively, each receiving just under 100 votes. Finally, pavlova was seen as the most worthy fancy dessert, with only 68 responses — or just over 11% — calling it overrated.

So, the next time you're trying to truly impress your dinner guests you can skip a trip to the patisserie and whip up a decadent chocolate pavlova instead.