Waffles, with their crispy outsides…
…and perfectly sized syrup holes – are a breakfast staple…
…in the US – one that blurs the line between breakfast and dessert.
It might surprise you to know that waffles…
…date back further than you might think.
With the arrival of the pilgrims across the Atlantic…
…waffles first added their honeycomb design…
…to flatbread sometime in the 13th century.
America industrialized the waffle, producing frozen waffles…
…that contrasted sharply with the traditional Belgian variety.
This is just the surface of the checkerboard!
Here is Lily’s story…
Breakfast waffles are the superheroes of the weekend!
The best thing about waking up on a Saturday morning is sleeping in…
…then stumbling out and having freshly made waffles dripping with maple syrup.
The majority of the time, I’m the one making waffles so that the rest…
…of my family can enjoy that experience, but, you know what?
Your efforts will be rewarded. Providing homemade waffles…
….as my reward would make me glad to handle the waffle iron.
A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression.
Waffle
Are you interested in learning more? Come on, let’s indulge…
The First Flatbreads
The lineage of food has to be traced somewhere…
In my opinion, both pizza and waffles really started with flatbreads…
…just as they did with pizza.
Waffles are related to unleavened flatbreads, which have..
…been around for thousands of years. The Fertile Crescent of the Middle East…
…where human civilization made some of its first important steps…
…was a common place to find flatbread.
Besides being easy to make (just add flour and water! )…
…transport, and store, this contributed to their popularity.
A bit later, the Ancient Greeks began making obleios, which were simple…
…flat cakes cooked between two heated metal plates. Nevertheless…
…these predecessors to modern waffles did not have a grid design.
In later centuries, Christianity adopted flatbread…
…as an important part of its tradition. In most Christian branches…
…the Eucharist, which is normally a blessed round flatbread…
…represents Jesus Christ’s body.
French oublies were sold outside France’s churches…
…by street vendors in the Middle Ages. The water presses used…
…to make them often included artistic designs…
…including crosses or other religious symbols.
The Middle East, India, and the Mediterranean are also…
…among the places where flatbreads are extremely popular…
…but their composition varies by cuisine.
The Birth of the Honeycomb Style
Even though the flatbread was popular in many…
…European cultures for years, it only acquired the waffle’s…
…characteristic grid pattern in medieval Europe. A legend claims…
…the waffle was invented by a medieval knight who…
…when returning home after a hard day, accidentally sat on an oatcake…
…while still dressed in his armor. According to legend…
…the knight scratched a grid pattern on the flatbread, and the rest was history.
Isn’t that interesting?
The Rise of the Waffle
Throughout Europe’s late Middle Ages and Renaissance period…
…the waffle rose to popularity as a street food.
Waffles with a honeycomb pattern were sold on the streets of England in..
The waffles of this era consisted of flour, water, and eggs …
…without the sugar or flavorings we associate with the waffle of today.
Waffles Cross the Atlantic: American Waffle History
The history of waffles in the United States…
…is almost as long as that of the country itself.
Most of their popularity has emerged in the last century or two…
…from food served at upper-class tea parties to mainstream breakfast staples.
Waffles in Colonial Times and Early America
Waffles arrived on this side of the Atlantic with pilgrims in the 1620s…
During their travels to America, they learned the ways of the waffle from the Dutch….
What do you think about that theory?
Also, they adopted the name waffle, which evolved from wafel.
The sweet accompaniments for pancakes and waffles…
…in the colonies were molasses and maple syrup. Since colonial days…
…Northern Americans have served waffles with both sweet…
…and savory twists, including everything from fruit to kidney stew to chicken.
The majority of sugar had indeed been removed..
It was too expensive to use conventional sugar in everyday life…
…since it was imported from England. There were instead direct access…
…to maple syrup. In the northern colonies of New England…
…and New Amsterdam (nowadays, New York)…
…the colonists harvested it from naturally growing trees.
What has changed a lot since then?
The waffle iron...
The first waffle irons used in the US used heavy metal plates with long…
…wooden handles, similar to the original European models.
Cornelius Swartwout patented a safer waffle iron in 1869.
It took a lot of strength to move them, and the cook…
…couldn’t simply leave the waffle on the fire.
It was he who turned this delicacy into something of an upper-class specialty…
…and greatly influenced the history of waffles in America.
It is said that Jefferson brought French waffle irons with smaller handles…
…when he returned from his post as ambassador to France.
His plantation became a place where waffle frolics were held….
It was customary for guests to prepare their own waffles…
…at Jefferson’s waffle frolics in the early days. Later…
…the parties included other activities (such as frolicking and playing cards)…
…and dropped the waffle-making part.
The early waffle irons were not only difficult to handle but also expensive…
In America’s early years, waffles were mostly limited…
…to upper-class tea parties or street vendors who could front the investment.
The Perfected Waffle
The safer waffle iron designed by Cornelius Swartwout…
…post-Civil War, was a major advance in America’s waffle industry.
Because he was of Dutch ancestry – and had probably witnessed…
…many nasty waffle burns – he invented a waffle iron that was easy to handle and turn.
The date of National Waffle Day coincides with the date…
…Swartwout presented his first patent in 1869.
Waffles became a common breakfast food in American kitchens…
…after this invention, both accessible and safe for all.
Founders Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood developed…
…the first ready-made and self-rising pancake mix.
In honor of a popular character from minstrel shows…
…the partners named their brand Aunt Jemima. R.T. purchased the company later.
Initially, Davis recruited a cook and storyteller named Nancy Green…
…as the model who graced the Simplex Electric Heating Company’s…
…first electric waffle iron around 1906. The appliance was far from the safe…
…appliance we have in our kitchens today – it had exposed electrical contacts…
…but it was an improvement over manual irons.
The first model of General Electric was launched in.
It took until 1918 for successful models to appear following the launch…
And finally we’re here…
Waffles Go Mainstream
By that point, waffles were inexpensive to prepare…
…so they were a popular dessert choice even during the Great Depression.
Still, waffle irons weren’t as common in American kitchens as they are today…
When the price of iron dropped after the Depression…
…waffle irons became popular in kitchens across the United States.
Another breakthrough in the history of waffles came with the ” froffle ,…
..or frozen waffle, in 1953. Brothers and owners of the Eggo Food Products company…
…Sam, Tony, and Frank Dorsa, made the first frozen waffle.
Later, they sold their company to Kellogg’s…
…taking the Eggo to stores around the country.
The Belgian Waffle Takes Over
Belgium introduced waffles topped with whipped cream, powdered sugar…
…and fruit to the world during the 1958 World’s Fair.
At the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, waffles were among the most popular snacks…
…and waffle bars reported long lines.
Still, they only turned into a massive craze two years later…
In the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens, a vendor named…
…Maurice Vermersch sold “Bel-Gem” waffles, made with a yeasted batter.
He changed the product’s name from Brussels waffles to Bel-Gem…
..after realizing that most of his customers couldn’t locate Brussels.
He thought Americans wouldn’t be able to pronounce “Belgian,”…
…but that didn’t stop the food from eventually taking over high-end waffles in the US.
In addition to the whipped cream and strawberries atop Vermerchs’s waffles…
…the waffles were taller than those commonly sold…
…in the United States before then. Belgian waffles were…
…a huge hit at the American fair and are still popular today.
Was there a Vermerch waffle?
They are still available today, served by MariePaule Vermersch.
Don’t ask for the recipe – she won’t tell you!
The book contains four recipes, but each is a variation of the first…
…Beat some eggs with salt, season with wine, and bake.
Sprinkle some flour on top, and mix. Once the paste is filled…
…fill each iron with as much paste as could be filled in a slice of cheese.
Cook both sides of the iron after closing it. Try coating the dough…
…with a piece of cloth that has been soaked in oil…
….or grease before it does not easily dislodge from the iron.
Varieties of Waffle
- Brussels waffle
- Plain waffle sold at a neighborhood store in Singapore.
- Rolled waffles
- Waffle cookies made in Belgium and imported to the United States.
- Galettes campinoises
- Waffle with ice cream
Our Article About The Amazing Waffle
The Best Waffle Maker With Removable Plates On Amazon (2021)
If you are like to be busy in the kitchen, you should have…
…the best waffle maker with removable plates.
Waffle holes are ideal for holding syrup, chocolate chips…
…and other tasty toppings, but waffle iron cracks…
…can be tough to clean. For easy cleanup, the finest…
…waffle makers with detachable plates contain nonstick…
…dishwasher-safe elements and some even have replaceable…
…plates for more cooking possibilities.
Remarkable Hamilton Beach 26031 Belgian Waffle Maker Review (2021)
Having so much to do in a day with such a limited amount…
….of time is a challenge for us all. As we can see through products…
…like the Hamilton Beach 26031 Belgian Waffle Maker…
…technology has adjusted accordingly.
Best Way to Clean a Waffle Maker (2021)
There are few small appliances that provide…
…as much tasty fun as a waffle maker.
Why aren’t more people using this cool kitchen tool?
Because it’s a drag to clean a waffle maker!
Sum Up
There you have it, the interesting history of this tasty treat…
Throughout its time, waffles have been everything from a sweet dessert…
…to a savory pairing – and a religious symbol to a decadent treat.
What’s a good bet? Waffles aren’t going anywhere …
…they’ll continue to grace our plates for years to come.
So dig in, and know you’re in good company…
Conclusion
If you find this is helpful be sure to leave a comment!
Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always…
…do my best to respond to each and every comment.
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Hi there! I’m a food enthusiast and journalist, and I have a real passion for food that goes beyond the kitchen. I love my dream job and I’m lucky enough to be able to share my knowledge with readers of several large media outlets. My specialty is writing engaging food-related content, and I take pride in being able to connect with my audience. I’m known for my creativity in the kitchen, and I’m confident that I can be the perfect guide for anyone looking to take their culinary journey to the next level.
