For instance, patissier Antonin Carême already mentions glazed gâteaux renversés adorned with apples from Rouen or other fruit in his Pâtissier Royal Parisien (1841).

Historians and gourmets have argued whether it is a genuine creation of the Demoiselles (Misses) Tatin or the branding of an improved version of the "tarte solognote," a traditional dish named after the Sologne region which surrounds Lamotte-Beuvron.

As he described it: I used to hunt around Lamotte-Beuvron in my youth and had discovered, in a very small hotel run by elderly ladies, a marvelous dessert listed on the menu under tarte solognote; I questioned the kitchen staff about its recipe but was sternly rebuffed.

Undaunted, I got myself hired as a gardener, but three days later, I was fired when it became clear that I could hardly plant a cabbage; however, this was long enough to pierce the secrets of the kitchen; I brought the recipe back, and put it on my menu under 'tarte des demoiselles Tatin.

Originally, the tarte Tatin was made with two regional apple varieties: Reine des Reinettes (Pippins) and Calville.