Italian meringue

Meringue

Meringue with whipped cream
Type	Dessert
Main ingredients	Egg whites, sugar

Meringue (/məˈræŋ/,mə-RANG; French pronunciation: ​[məʁɛ̃ɡ]) is a type of dessert, often associated with French, Swiss, and Italian cuisine, traditionally made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar or cream of tartar. A binding agent such as salt, cornstarch or gelatin may also be added to the eggs. The addition of powdered sugar, which usually contains corn starch, to the uncooked meringue produces a pavlova. The key to the formation of a good meringue is the formation of by denaturing the protein ovalbumin (a protein in the egg whites) via mechanical shear. Meringues are often flavoured with vanilla, a small amount of almond, or coconut, although if extracts of these are used and are based on an oil infusion, an excess of fat from the oil may inhibit the egg whites from forming a foam.

They are light, airy and sweet confections. Homemade meringues are often chewy and soft with a crisp exterior, although a uniform crisp texture may be achieved at home by baking at a low temperature (180–200 °F (82–93 °C)) for an extended period of up to two hours, whilst many commercial meringues are crisp throughout.