A new young bride was looking to carry on the family tradition of Saturday morning waffles. As she struggled with the secret family recipe and a new waffle iron she wondered about the history of waffles. This is the story she was told.
Possible Pre-History of Waffles
Sometime in the Neolithic age, somewhere in the cradle of civilization, the beginning of the waffle occurred. A heated rock receives a dropped glob of a crude cereal paste. An early chef either flipped this with a stick or scrambled it so it was cooked. The taste was not bad, so other experiments continued.
As history progressed to the Iron Age, the hot rocks were replaced with iron plates. An iron chef decides to place an additional iron plate on top to speed up the cooking. Next the ancient Greeks gave the product the name of obleios. They added cheeses and herbs for flavor.
Known History of Waffles
In the middle ages, the name changed to oublies. The obloyeurs, street vendors sold the product off their carts. They were either flat or rolled in cornets (cones). By the 1200's the name became gaufre, then wafla. The craftsmen began to forged two cooking irons together. Waflas were so important, at this time, a guild to train the vendors who sold the waflas was developed. The honeycomb pattern of the wafla was established, based on the meaning of the word wafla- a piece of the honeybee hive. Even Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about waflas. In Canterbury Tales, he declared waffles an excellent means of seduction, " He sent her sweetened wine and well spiced ale/ And waffles piping hot out of the fire,"
The religious connection is clear as the pattern was said to look like interlocking crosses. They were sold just outside churches during the penitential seasons of the year. The demand for waflas was so great the King Charles IX had to set up laws to govern how far apart the vendors had to be on the church steps (4 meters). The bakers competed with the monasteries and the wafers of the monasteries became the tastier waflas. The waflas were also given the shape or imprint of the Holy day or the King, Queen or the coat of arms. The Scandinavian style of waffles is cooked in a heart shaped waffle iron. They celebrate March 25 The Annunciation nine months before Christmas with waffles. This date is also International Waffle day.
Waffles in America
By the sixteenth century waflas were served in all levels of society. The rich were able to add eggs, milk and honey to create tasty waflas. The poor had only poor flour and water for their thick waflas. In 1620 the Pilgrims brought wafles to America. They learned this skill from their time in Holland. In 1735 waffles appeared in print for the first time with two f's.
Thomas Jefferson brought a long handled waffle iron from France and began serving waffles in the White House. His serving of waffles in the white House began the fad of “Waffle Frolic” or waffle party. At these parties waffles were served with everything from molasses to kidney stew. Slaves were given the leftovers as a special treat. The southern tradition of chicken and waffles may have begun at this time.
The 1800's saw street vendors in America selling waffles. The first patent for a waffle iron was received on August 24, 1869. It is described as a device to bake waffles. This device still required turning, yet it became very popular. August 24 is still recognized as National Waffle Day.
In 1911, General Electric introduced the first electric waffle iron which was designed by Thomas J. Stackbeck. It had a built in thermostat to prevent burning. Since this date the waffle iron has continued to evolve with non-stick surfaces, lighter weight materials, and fancy designs. By the 1930's the waffle iron had become a standard kitchen appliance.
With such a storied history it is hard to believe waffle traditionalist would reject frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles, or the "nouvelle waffle" cuisine. Celebrate more than just National Waffle Day or even International Waffle Day. Use a whole week to celebrate National Waffle Week, the second week of September, but stick to butter and maple syrup. Well O.K., maybe strawberries or blueberries with a hint of whipped cream. Oh, just bring back the waffle frolic and really enjoy waffles.
Source: The Nibble.com
Kim Youmans - Kim Youmans is an acclaimed educator, teaching preschool through graduate school. He writes about Theology, travels, and the outdoors.
