Waffle Something?

A waffle is a type of cake that is baked in a form of waffle iron. Because one does not need an oven to bake waffles, they were very popular when people still cooked at open hearths. Today, there are ovens in almost every home, and thereby we also have a wide selection of oven-baked cakes we could make instead of waffles. But from ice cream cones to breakfast waffles, the crispy cake is still a popular choice.

Origin of the Waffle

The earliest waffle we know is the wafers eaten at communion in church. The dough consisted of wheat flour and water, and they were made in a kind of small waffle iron. But the origin of the waffles we know today is not found in the church – instead, it is found right outside the church. In medieval France, waffle sellers stood at the church gates on church feast days and sold waffles.

The first known written recipe for waffles is from the end of the 14th century, and the oldest printed Danish waffle recipe is from 1648.

After waffles survived the transition to an era with an oven and stove in the home, a new type of waffle iron emerged that fit the stove’s cooking holes. The iron was pan-shaped and could bake five heart-shaped waffles at once. It closely resembles the electronic waffle iron found in most homes today. However, the shape can also be both round and square.

Waffle Variations

The most common ingredients in a waffle batter are wheat flour, milk, and eggs. The ingredients can be varied with, for example, vanilla, chocolate, and berries.

More traditionally, waffle batter can be divided into three main types: yeast doughs, whipped batters, and thin batters.

Yeast dough was the most popular until the first half of the 1800s, but then it disappeared from Danish cookbooks. Whipped batters are lightened by whipping, for example, whipped cream into them, making them a more luxurious waffle, but like the yeast waffle, they also disappear during the 1800s. Therefore, the thin batter is primarily used for waffle baking today.

A popular waffle is the Belgian waffle. A Belgian waffle is baked in a square shape that is a bit thicker, so even though the batter is crispy on the outside, it is soft and fluffy on the inside. Because it is thicker, it also has thicker holes than most other European waffles.

Outside of Europe, waffles are also very popular. The American waffle can vary much like the Danish one. It is often eaten for breakfast with butter or syrup.