Saint Joseph's Day
Analogous recipes appear in 17th century Spanish cookery books, usually under the name of "Cream of Saint Joseph" ("Crema de Sant Josep"), since it was a traditional dessert served during Saint Joseph's Day, although nowadays it is consumed at all times of the year. The recipe was referred to as "crema catalana" (Catalan cream) for the first time by the Spanish friar Juan de Altamiras in his 1745 cookbook, where the recipe was said to be of Catalan origin. The burnt sugar topping is documented in 1770.