The first recipe for souffle supposedly (by supposedly, I mean someone might be a liar) appeared in Vincent L Chapelle's Le Cuisinier Moderne (1742)

The word souffle is a French word that literally means "puffed up". To tell someone in French they're puffed up, say: "Tu es souffle", or "vous êtes souffle". Use "tu es" (sounds like: tew ay) if you're on a familiar basis with the person, which you probably are if you're calling them fat. Otherwise, use "vous êtes" (sounds like: voo zet). They will be both impressed and slightly confused.

Patrons of La Grande Tavern de Loudres, opened in Paris in the 1780's, were possibly the first to enjoy this puffy delight. Good thing too, because the 1780's were not as awesome as the 1980's. Less Lauper, and more leprosy.

Souffle has a tendency to fall quickly. Therefore, souffle has been displayed in many forms of media, especially cartoons and children's programs, as a dessert that has difficultly surviving outside the oven for more than a short time. Children, on the other hand, have difficulty surviving inside an oven for more than a short time. Some jest that a poke or a loud noise will make a soufflé collapse. I have no doubt these "jesters" probably have horrible senses of humor and are socially awkward.

The first recipe published in English for souffle appeared in Louis Ude's The French Cook (1813), and by 1845, it was so commonly accepted, that Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery (1845), included a recipe.

Although many different containers can be used, souffle is traditionally made in souffle cups or ramekins.These containers vary greatly in size, but are typically round, porcelain, glazed white, flat-bottomed, with unglazed bottoms and fluted exterior borders.

The two basic components of souffle are the base and egg whites. The base of a souffle provides the flavor and is either a creme sauce or puree.  Jam, fruits, cheese, and chocolate are just a few options. The egg whites are beaten to a soft peak meringue. Sad fact: ninety innocent egg whites are beaten every day to make souffle at the restaurant I work. To donate money to Eggs Without Voices, a society dedicated to the education, prevention, and rehabilitation of broken shells, make all checks out to Hannah Gansen. You can make a difference in an egg's life. Egg beaters must be stopped.

At the restaurant I work, we use butter, sugar, flour, and chocolate for the base. First, the butter, sugar, and flour is combined. Next, we add boiled milk, egg yolks, and the chocolate. The egg whites are added little by little. The souffle is served in an ramekin on top of bread and butter plate that's covered with a doily. Doilies are also used as head coverings in zealous Baptist churches.

Make sure to ask your guests at least 25 minutes at lunch and 45 minutes at dinner in advance if they would like a souffle for dessert. Ways to phrase it are: "Would you care for a souffle this evening? I'm asking in advance because it takes 45 minutes to prepare." You can also say: "Are you interested in souffle this evening?" I highly caution against this though because guests will usually say: "Oh, gee, we're sure interested, but we ain't gonna order it. Ha!" They're funny.