Plural of flane; a type of custard tart or open pie traditionally made with a pastry base and creamy filling.
From Old French 'flaon,' derived from Late Latin 'flado' or Frankish roots. The word traveled through medieval cookery as custard-filled pastries became popular across European courts.
Medieval flanes were the fancy dessert of choice for European nobility, and the word survived in English longer than many other Old French culinary terms because people never stopped making them.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.