This article is about the food item. For other uses, see Waffle (disambiguation). A traditional-style 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. Contents 1 Varieties of waffle 2 Medieval origins 3 Trivia 4 External links Varieties of waffle 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, but are also found in many different savory dishes as well. They are generally denser and thinner than the Belgian waffle, often using a quickbread type recipe. 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. Liège-style waffle Sugar waffle Soft waffle Fruits waffle and Liège-style waffle Biscuit waffle Medieval origins Modern waffle iron The 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 the flour that teeth were often worn to the gum-line by middle age. According to Alan Hindley's Old French - English Dictionary, the medieval French term for waffle was "gauffre." This became "waffre" in English by at least the 15th century. According to the Gode Cookery Website, vendors of these goods were called "wafferers" in English-speaking places. Trivia 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. Thomas Jefferson is known for bringing a waffle iron to the U.S. from France in the 1790's, increasing their popularity. Waffle parties were a common form of entertainment at the time. External links 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. Search Term: "Waffle" Categories: Quick breads | Sweet breads | Breakfast foods | Dutch loanwords | Belgian cuisine

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