1. A ‘word of mouth‘ success, according to its publishing house Marabout, Crumbles reflects a growing interest in this pudding from the more adventurous French restaurateurs.

2. But in a country with tens of thousands of graduates unable to find work, his parents encouraged him to go to a Daara, a Koranic school run by a Marabout or religious teacher.

3. Lifelong relationship Its ties bind every Mourride to every other, but one of the strongest ties of all is the one which binds a Mourride to his spiritual guide and teacher, his Marabout or Cheikh.

4. "What we have in common –– the Marabout –– is more important than family ties, community ties, even the fact we are from the same country." Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba‘s teachings –– notably "pray as if you will die tomorrow and work as if you will live forever" –– are learned from an early age by many of his followers.

5. The leading French chef Raymond Blanc, whose restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat‘Saisons was last week pronounced one of the best places to eat in Britain by the Hardens guide, said he was delighted to learn of his countrymen‘s growing appetite for this pudding. ‘It is enormously pleasing,‘ he said. ‘I have seen it on the menu of at least three great restaurants in France recently too.‘ Marabout, an imprint of the publishing giant Hachette, puts the book‘s popularity down to ‘a striking cover‘ and its relative low cost. ‘It is a huge success because it is an original book that is not very expensive and which is targeted at open–minded young women,‘ said a spokesperson in Paris this weekend. ‘It was love at first sight for many women who read it.