Brussels waffle

A waffle is a light batter cake cooked in a waffle iron, between two hot plates, patterned to give a distinctive and characteristic shape. Batter is a liquid mixture usually based on one or more Flours combined with liquids such as Water, Milk or Beer. A waffle iron is a Cooking Appliance used to make Waffles It usually consists of two hinged metal plates molded to create the honey comb pattern

Varieties of waffle

• The Brussels Waffle^[1] (known in the USA as the Belgian Waffle) is prepared from a yeast-leavened batter, to give a light, crisp waffle. It is often served warm by street vendors, dusted with confectioner's sugar, and sometimes topped with whipped cream or chocolate spread. It may also be served as a dessert, with fruits, whipped cream or ice cream. Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from Dairy products such as Milk and Cream, combined

Belgian Waffles shown here served with fruit salad and cream

• The Liège waffle^[2] (from the city of Liège, in eastern Belgium) is a waffle usually bought and eaten warm on the street. Liège (ljɛːʒ Older English: Luick, Walloon: Lidje, German: Lüttich; Latin: Leodium, Dutch 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". The last-minute addition of nib sugar to the batter produces a caramelized sugar coating. Nib sugar, also known as pearl sugar is a type of refined Sugar in grains with a diameter of approximately 2mm This gives a distinctive flavor. Most are served plain, but some are vanilla or cinnamon flavored, and can be served with toppings like fruits, creams, and chocolate. Vanilla is a Flavoring derived from Orchids of the genus Vanilla native to Mexico. Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 The Liège waffle was invented by a cook of the prince-bishop of Liège in the 18th century. The Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium

Liège waffles with berries.

• American waffles^[3], common in the United States, are made from a batter leavened with baking powder, rather than yeast, always lightened with beaten egg-whites. Baking powder is a dry chemical Leavening agent used in cooking mainly baking They are usually served as a sweet breakfast food, topped with butter and various syrups. Breakfast is the first meal of the day The word derives from the idea of break ing the '''fast''' of sleep In Cooking, a syrup (from Arabic' ar شراب sharab, beverage via Latin siropus) is a thick Viscous Liquid but are also found in many different savory dishes, such as chicken and waffles. Chicken and waffles is a dish combining Waffles, typically a breakfast food with Chicken, sometimes fried that is served in certain specialty restaurants in They are generally denser and thinner than the Belgian waffle. Waffles were first introduced to North America in 1620, by pilgrims who brought the method from Holland. Pilgrims, or Pilgrim Fathers (or Pilgrim Mothers) is a name commonly applied to the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth Thomas Jefferson brought a waffle iron from France, and waffle frolics or parties became popular in the late eighteenth century. Thomas Jefferson (April 13 1743 – July 4 1826 was the third President of the United States (1801–1809 the principal author of the Declaration of Independence Waffles were eaten with both sweet (e. g. molasses or maple syrup) and savoury (such as kidney stew) toppings. ^[4]
  • Virginia waffles^[5] are made with rice or cornmeal instead of wheat-flour.
• In Ireland and the UK, the potato waffle, is a savory frozen food in waffle shape, made of reconstituted potato, oil and seasonings. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In the UK the potato waffle is a savory frozen food in Waffle shape Frozen food is food preserved by the process of Freezing. Freezing food is a common method of Food preservation which slows both food decay and by The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae Cooking oil is purified Fat of Plant or Animal origin which is liquid at room temperature Alternate meanings Seasoning (cast iron; Seasoning (wood; Seasoning (slave Seasoning is the process of imparting or improving These waffles may be baked, grilled, prepared in a toaster or fried, and are used as a side dish or snack. Baking is the technique of prolonged Cooking of Food by dry heat acting by conduction, and not by radiation, normally in an Oven, For the device used to cook see Grill (cooking, for other uses see Grill. A toaster is a small electric Kitchen appliance designed to Toast slices of Bread. Frying is the Cooking of food in Oil or Fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500BC
• Hong Kong style waffle, in Hong Kong called a "grid cake" (格仔餅), is a waffle usually made and sold by street hawkers and eaten warm on the street^[6] . Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders They are similar to a traditional waffle but larger, round in shape and divided into four quarters. They are usually served as a snack. Butter, peanut butter and sugar are spread on one side of the cooked waffle and then it is folded into a semi circle to eat. Egg, sugar and evaporated milk are used in the waffle recipes, giving them a sweet flavor. Evaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk is a Shelf-stable canned Milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh They are generally soft and not dense. Traditional Hong Kong style waffles are full of the flavor of yolk. An egg yolk is the part of an egg which serves as the Food source for the developing Embryo inside Sometimes different flavors, such as chocolate and honey melon flavor are used in the recipe and create various colors. Chocolate ( pronounced or /-ˈələt/ comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical Cacao tree

Two stroopwafels

• Stroopwafels (English translation: syrup waffles) are thin waffles with a syrup filling. Stroopwafels ( ( English translation syrup waffles) are thin Dutch Waffles with a Syrup filling English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States In Cooking, a syrup (from Arabic' ar شراب sharab, beverage via Latin siropus) is a thick Viscous Liquid They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands, during the 18th or 19th century. Gouda (population 71797 in 2004 is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The stiff batter for the waffles is made from flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Flour is a powder made of Cereal grains It is the key ingredient of Bread, which is a staple food in many countries and therefore the availability Butter is a Dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented Cream or Milk. Brown sugar is a Sucrose Sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of Molasses. Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes. An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals consisting of an Ovum surrounded by layers of Membranes and an outer casing which acts to nourish Medium sized balls of batter are put on the waffle iron. A waffle iron is a Cooking Appliance used to make Waffles It usually consists of two hinged metal plates molded to create the honey comb pattern When the waffle is baked, and while it is still warm, it is cut into two halfs. The warm filling, made from syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, is spread in between the waffle halfs, which glues them together. Cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum, synonym C zeylanicum) is a small Evergreen Tree 10–15 metres (32 ^[7] They are popular in Belgium and the Netherlands.

A waffle iron for Scandinavian waffles. A waffle iron is a Cooking Appliance used to make Waffles It usually consists of two hinged metal plates molded to create the honey comb pattern

• Scandinavian waffles are soft and generally divided into four or five segments, traditionally vaguely heart-shaped. The segments are often separated and eaten one by one or folded in pairs. Scandinavian waffles are mostly eaten with whipped cream and berry jam, for example raspberry jam or blueberry jam. the "Scandinavian" waffle is believed to originate from Sweden. In Sweden these waffles are also referred to as "frasvåffla" which roughly translated means crispy waffle.

Medieval origins

The modern waffle has its origins in the wafers-very light thin crisp cakes, baked between wafer-irons-of the Middle Ages^[8]. A waffle iron is a Cooking Appliance used to make Waffles It usually consists of two hinged metal plates molded to create the honey comb pattern Wafer irons consisted of two metal plates connected by a hinge, with each plate connected to an arm with a wooden handle. 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). A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land including physical elements such as Landforms living elements of flora and fauna abstract elements such as lighting The iron was placed over a fire, and flipped to cook both sides of the wafer. 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 cone or tube, others were left flat. Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from Dairy products such as Milk and Cream, combined In 14 C. England, wafers were sold by street vendors called waferers. ^[9] The modern waffle is a leavened form of wafer.

"Wafer" and "waffle" share common etymological roots. Wafre (wafer) occurs in Middle English by 1377, adopted from Middle Low German wâfel, with change of l into r. Modern Dutch wafel, French gaufre, and German Waffel, all meaning "waffle", share the same origin. The Dutch form, wafel, was adopted into modern American English as waffle, in the 18th century. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system ^[8][10]

Mass Produced Waffles

Waffles are mass produced and frozen, to be eaten quickly and with little effort in many flavors. Among the many companies that produced frozen waffles include, most notably, Eggo. Eggo is a brand of frozen Waffles in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which is owned by the Kellogg Company.

References

External links

• Picture of wafers being made from around 1340
• Food timeline entry for waffles
• Discussion of wafers in the Middle Ages
• Waffle recipes in the Cookbook wikibookhd:wjr