Every Day is a Great Day for Waffles!

The First Week of September is National Waffle Week!

Did you know...?

The word waffle actually comes from a Dutch word, "wafel," and modern waffles may have originated there.

Waffles are some of the oldest breakfast foods around. There are records of ancient Greeks making flat cakes and cooking them between two metal plates.

The modern waffle has its origins in the wafers – very light thin crisp cakes, baked between wafer-irons – of the Middle Ages. Wafer irons consisted of two metal plates connected by a hinge, with each plate connected to an arm with a wooden handle. The iron was placed over a fire, and flipped to cook both sides of the wafer. These irons were used to produce a variety of different flat, unleavened cakes (usually from a mixture of barley and oats, not the white flour used today).

In 14th century England, wafers were sold by street vendors called waferers. The modern waffle is a leavened form of wafer.

Medieval waffle law: In medieval Europe, vendors were permitted to sell their waffles outside of churches on saint’s days and during other special religious celebrations. Competition at the churches eventually became so heated, and at times violent, that King Charles IX of France imposed a regulation on waffle sales, requiring vendors to maintain a distance of at least “deux toises” (6 feet) from one another.

Waffle irons are necessary for perfect waffles because they use high heat that cooks quickly and crisps up the outside of the waffle, while leaving the inside tender and light.

The classic way to eat waffles is with maple syrup and fresh cream.

The ice cream cone was invented at the  St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 when an ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.

American waffles (aka “Belgian Waffles”), based on Brussels waffles, are made from a batter leavened chemically with baking powder, rather than yeast. They are usually served as a sweet breakfast food, topped with butter and various syrups, but are also found in many different savory dishes, such as fried chicken and waffles or topped with kidney stew. They are generally denser and thinner than the Brussels waffle, on which they are based. These “Belgian Waffles” were actually invented for Americans by Brussels restaurateur Maurice Vermersch, who sold them under the name “Bel-Gem Waffles” at New York’s 1964 World’s Fair. The Belgian people do not actually bake “Belgian Waffles.”

Now that you know...go enjoy some waffles!

sources:

foodtimeline.org

www.gone-ta-pott.com

Here's a great recipe to get you started: