Food History

Although waffles seem to be a relatively contemporary food, they have been around, worldwide, for thousands of years. It is quite likely the Ancient Greeks ate extremely flat cakes,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

Waffles were cooked between two hot metal plates, a method used continuously throughout the Middle Ages by obloyeurs, people specializing in making a variety of obleios that were often flat or rolled into coronets (a horned shape).

In 1620, waffles made the voyage from Holland to North America, courtesy of migrating Dutch pilgrims. Thomas Jefferson obtained a waffle iron, after a journey to France, and voila! a new form of culinary entertainment cropped up, in the form of waffle frolics or parties, in the late 1700s. Party guests were given their choice of waffles topped with sweets such as maple syrup or molasses or with savories such as kidney stew.

Thomas Jefferson was dependent upon slaves for cooking; soon, many members of the African-American community were highly skilled in making waffles. The diet of the slaves relied upon whatever food items were left behind by landowners and plantation families. Poultry was a rare delicacy for the slaves. Waffles were considered equally exotic; they were unusual, expensive, and time-consuming. Because of these qualities, chicken and and waffles came to a special occasion meal for the African-American community; this hearty meal gave the slaves a supply of energy before attending all-day church services.

The first U.S. waffle iron was patented on August 24, 1869, by Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York. Predating electrical models, Swarthout's waffle iron was heated by sitting it atop wood or gas stoves. A swivel hinge, in a cast iron collar, joined the two iron plates together.

These new electrical waffle irons were standard kitchen appliances by the 1930s. Thomas J. Stackbeck was instrumental in the development of the first electric waffle iron. He was responsible for designing the prototype heating elements that were used in building a thermostat to prevent the problem of frequent overheating. With the assistance of funding from General Electric, the first fully electric waffle iron was presented to the nation on July 26, 1911.

Over the years since the first electric waffle iron made its appearance, the interior design has changed from the utilitarian to whimsical; for waffle purists, the square or circle waffle shape is always available and for the child in us all, waffle plates can range from hearts or shamrocks to Mickey Mouse® or Hello Kitty®.

Waffles have been consistently popular since that first electric waffle iron. In 1953, an entrepreneur named Frank Dorsa introduced the ever-popular Eggo "Leggo of My Eggo®" frozen waffles to supermarkets throughout the United States. Now waffles were available to everyone, even if no waffle iron was available.

The inventor of the Belgian waffle, Maurice Vermersch, was made famous by the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Before the outbreak of World War II, Vermesch experimented with his wife's recipe for waffles while living in Belgium.

He opened two restaurants in Belgium at the close of the war, and introduced his wife's waffles at the 1960 Brussels Fair. His first efforts were so successful that Vermersch and four other other Belgian families took the waffles to the 1964 World's Fair in Queens, New York. They changed the name of the waffles from Brussels Waffle to Belgian waffle once they set up business in New York.

Belgian waffles are thicker than American waffles because of its use of yeast. Because yeast is a living organism, it takes a certain amount of time to achieve sufficient growth. For various reasons, American cooks chose not to use yeast recipes and looked for newer and faster ways, to get somewhat similar results, but in less time; baking powder and baking soda seem to do the job.

Belgian waffles have a very light and fluffy texture. They are baked in slightly larger waffle irons than are American waffles. The best-tasting waffles are made with yeast. Unfortunately, waffles made with yeast can be stored for only one to two days. The taste is at its acme upon immediate removal from the waffle iron.

To avoid having to excavate pieces of stuck-on waffle from the grids, it is a good idea to grease older waffle irons with a bit of oil or melted butter before commencing baking. Nonstick-lined waffle irons to not need pretreating; the finished waffle should slide out with the greatest of ease.

See more on waffle making at Niftykitchen.com Waffle Makers. Terry Kaufman is also Chief Editorial Writer for Niftygarden.com and Niftyhomebar.com.

©2008 Terry Kaufman.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Web ChefJackie.com

A Brief History Of Cheesecake To 1545 by Andrew Krause
A Brief History of the Cookie Jar by Sarah Freeland
A History of Teapots - How to Improve the Tea Experience by Jon Stout
A Look At Some Of The Dining Habits Of Ancient Romans by Gregg Hall
American Food History: A Work In Progress by Andrew Krause
Ancient Fig Trees Through History by Patrick Malcolm
An Elizabethan Madrigal Dinner (Part 1) by Andrew Krause
An Elizabethan Madrigal Dinner (Part 2) by Andrew Krause
Can Openers – A Brief History Lesson by John Gibb
Charles Elme Francatelli - Chef to Queen Victoria by George Matel
Chef Hat History by Jason Gluckman
Chef's Outfit by Celeste Yates
Chile Con Carne: A History by Dhiraj Bandurkar
Chinese Food by Marci Crane
Chocolate History - Part I by Michael Russell
Chocolate History - Part II by Michael Russell
Chocolate History - Part III by Michael Russell
Coffee Cake Is A Tasty Treat With A Rich History by Robert J. Carlton
Colonial Cooking - A History Of American Cuisine by Abhishek Agarwal
Culinary Challenge (Quiz) by Deanna Mascle
Culinary Herbs - Definition, History and Future by Rhonda Holland
Cutlery - A Brief History by Harwood E Woodpecker
Digging The History Of Cutleries by Stuart Wintergear and Carol Wintergear
Down the Ages - The Rich History Of Chinese Cooking by Abhishek Agarwal
Eating History - The Potato by Paul Rinehart
Fannie Merritt Farmer - Mother of the American Cookbook by Terry Kaufman
Food Timeline -- A chronology of food history.
Greece - The Ancient Kitchen by Sofia Petrakou
Growing Tomatoes - Harvesting History And Health by Annette Welsford
Historic Recipes
History of Chocolate Gifts by George Murray
History Of Citrus by Patrick Malcolm
History of Coffee: Part I - Africa and Arabia by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part II - Spread of Coffee to Europe by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part III - Colonisation of Coffee by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part IV - Commercialisation of Coffee by James Grierson
History of Coffee: Part V - Speciality Coffee by James Grierson
History of French Cooking by Michele Robbins
History Of Green Tea by Jon Stout
History of Pasta by Jessica Ackerman
History of Salsa Sauce - The Mexican Connection by Chris McCarthy
History of the Bridegrooms Cake by Yolanda Nash
History of the Coffee and Espresso Machine by Chris Vorelli
History Of The New York Cheesecake Recipe by Andrew Krause
Ice Cream History Facts - Where Did This Creamy Cool Dessert Originate? by C. Steendahl
Inside The Victorian Kitchen by George Matel
Pizza: Its History and Ancestors by Holly Bliss
Popcorn History - From Caves To Children's Birthday Parties by Mike Dougherty
Rich History of Chocolate by Celeste Yates
Snack Facts: The Incredible History Behind Some of Your Favorite Foods by Suzanne Lieurance
The History of Aprons by Thomas Morva
The History of Beef Jerky by Tommy Stabosz
The History Of Chocolate by Lee Dobbins
The History of Culinary Arts by Milos Pesic
The History Of Italian Food by C. Steendahl
The History of Pie by Susanne Myers
The History of Refrigerators by Chris Vorelli
The History Of TexMex Cuisine by Patt Carpenter
The History of the Birthday Cake by Jeff Cisneros
The History of The Hamburger by Ian Macdonald
The History of the Microwave Oven by Low Jeremy
The History of the Wedding Cake by Jeff Cisneros
Waffles - Contemporary Food with Thousands of Years of History by Terry Kaufman
Wine and the Roman Empire by Jennifer Jordan

< Back to Culinary History