Waffle
A
waffle is a
batter cake cooked between two hot plates called a
waffle iron. It has a distinctive gridlike appearance, the result of raised partitions on the waffle iron.
*
Traditional waffles in the
United States originated from pilgrims in 1620, who obtained the method from Holland. They are usually served as a sweet
breakfast food, topped with butter and various
syrups. They are generally denser and thinner than the Belgian waffle.
* The
Belgian waffle (also referred to as the "
Brussels waffle") often refers to a waffle that is less dense, crispier, has larger partitions and a larger volume than the traditional waffle. They are often served as a breakfast, with the same topping choices as a traditional waffle. More often than the traditional waffle however, they are served with fruits, whipped cream or ice cream, sometimes served as a dessert. While the thickness is the most commonly accepted difference between the Belgian waffle and the traditional waffle, the use of
yeast and beaten egg whites in most Belgian waffle recipes, as opposed to baking powder in the traditional waffle recipe, gives them a lighter and crispier texture.
* The
Liège waffle (from the city of
Liège, eastern Belgium) is a waffle usually bought and eaten warm on the street. They are usually freshly made in small shops, but it is also possible to buy them in supermarkets. They are smaller, sweeter and denser than "Belgian waffles" and have a caramelized sugar coating on the outside, giving them a lightly sweet flavor. Most are served plain, but some are
vanilla or
cinnamon flavoured, and can be served with toppings like fruits, creams, and chocolate. The Liège waffle was invented by a cook of the
prince-bishop of Liège in the 18th century.
*A
Japanese waffle, or
taiyaki (鯛焼き), is a batter cake that is cooked like other waffles. It is shaped like a
fish and filled with red or white
an (a sweet bean paste), or custard (chocolate or plain).
*In the
UK, a popular
frozen food is the
potato waffle, a savoury form made of reconstituted
potatoes,
oil and
seasonings. The waffles may be
baked,
grilled, prepared in a
toaster or
fried, and are used as a side dish or snack. These are produced by various frozen food companies including Birdseye, and McCain.
*Other kinds of waffle include
Biscuit waffles,
Sugar waffle,
Soft waffle,
Fruit waffle, and the
Waffle ice cream cone.
Image:Gaufre liege.jpg|Liège-style waffleImage:Gaufre sucre.jpg|Sugar waffleImage:Gaufre molle.jpg|Soft waffleImage:Gaufre liege 2.jpg|Fruits waffle and Liège-style waffleImage:Gaufre biscuit.jpg|Biscuit waffleThe modern waffle has its origins in the late
Middle Ages. Waffle irons consisted of two metal plates connected by a hinge, with each plate connected to a wooden arm. Some plates had imprinted designs such as a
coat-of-arms or
landscape, while some had the now-familiar honeycomb/gridiron pattern (there is evidence that in the 14th century only wealthy kitchens would have irons). The iron was placed over a fire and would need to be flipped manually to cook both sides of the waffle.
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). Some were rolled into a horn or tube, others were left flat. In many cities, waffles were sold off carts by street vendors. Judging from extant illustrations, these vendors gave people their money's worth, as the waffles in question were about the size of a small
pizza, although there was a hidden cost: because of stone grinding methods, there was so much grit in flour that teeth were often worn to the gum-line by middle age.
In medieval French, the term for this pastry was "oublie" (from Latin "oblata"), sold by "oubloyeurs" in the streets of
Paris and other major cities.
*The
Belgian Waffle was introduced into North America during the
1964 New York World's Fair by its Belgian inventor, Maurice Vermersch. Observing that most Americans didn't know where Brussels actually was, he decided to change the name from
"Brussels Waffle" to the
"Belgian Waffle".
* Waffles in
Flanders are often associated with the Flemish comic strip
Nero by
Marc Sleen. The characters enjoy a waffle feast ("wafelenbak") at the end of nearly each adventure.
*Frozen waffles made their
convenience food debut in U.S.
grocery stores in
1953.
*
Waffle House is a large chain of
franchise restaurants in the U.S.
*In Germany and the Nordic countries the waffle is thin, similar to a pancake.
*Europe's largest waffle factory is situated in
Nuth, The Netherlands, where a variety of waffles made up of two thin waffles with a spread of
sugar cane syrup or sometimes
maple syrup in between is popular (
stroopwafel).
*It was the sweet food item chosen to represent Belgium in the
Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the
European Union, on
Europe Day 2006.
*
Crêpe*
French toast*
Ice cream cone*
International Waffle Day*
Latke*
Pancake*
Pizzelle*
Stroopwafel*
Taiyaki*
Picture of wafers being made from around
1340*
References from Chaucer to wafers and waferers from
The Miller's Tale and
The Pardoner's Tale*
Food timeline entry for waffles.
*
Medieval wafers with whipped cream*
Discussion of wafers in the Middle Ages.
