Waffles Mean A Great Deal To Americans But They Are Wholly Belgian

Waffle on a plate with banana, chocolate sauce, ice-cream etc.
A great Belgian waffle served up with bananas, cream, chocolate sauce and ice-cream. Photo by dfrsce, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How is that Belgium comes to be associated with so many sweet delicious things like chocolate and waffles ? I don’t know either in truth but it’s those crisp, slightly brown and gold waffles we look at today. The breakfast staple has taken off throughout much of the western world and it doesn’t look as if their popularity is stopping anytime. Last time I looked, waffles makers were one of the trends for 2018 because so many of us wanted to achieve something special in the home with new kitcheware.

Making waffles is one of the simplest operations possible. It’s a case of ladling waffle batter into waffle iron, square or round you take your pick, closing the lid and listening for the steam escaping.

In the English language, waffle is actually a verb describing some-ones conversation as rambling and indecisive. It was derived from a Scottish word meaning ‘waff’ which means “to yelp like a puppy.” When it comes to a noun then we are thinking of a batter which becomes a griddled breakfast food or dessert. That word comes Old German, wefan and that is something which is weaved into something that resembles honeycomb.

Over in New York or indeed any American city of note, there are three types of breakfast waffles to be enjoyed. In Belgium, two leading cities lend their name:- the Belgian or Brussels waffles which is a deep ridged version that is leavened with yeast. Such a waffle is usually crispy with a light texture. Before the Brussels waffle, came the Liege waffle which is prepared with yeast too but it has a heavier, more spongy texture because of its caramelised sugar coating. The third is the American that does not use yeast but relies on baking powder.

Like pancakes, waffles first originated in Western Europe at the start of the Middle Ages. In those days, batter was poured between two iron plates which had a grid on them to catch the batter. The grid also helped prevent the batter falling into the fire as it was cooked. Quite a simple idea really but highly effective.

The waffle has only recently caught on in the USA which seems unbelievable given the culture that it has created in that country. It came over with migrants from Europe who brought many of their customs and ways with them. The Belgian waffle makes its long awaited debut at the World’s Fair in 1962 in Seattle, Washington State. We know though that in 1869, Cornelius Swarthout obtained the first U.S. patent on the waffle iron so it was clearly of interest then as a food product.

One of the most famous waffle houses is the Southern Chain Waffle House. They have a serving record of something like 145 waffles every minute.

For the product developer, it’s the topping that really makes the difference and there is no stopping the level if inventiveness of some. Most traditional toppings include drifts of whipped cream, maple syrup, plenty of fresh fruit such as boysenberriesstrawberries, blueberries and raspberries, and usually some chocolate sauce or a spoonful of chocolate hazelnut spread. What couldn’t be finer although there is a slight queeziness about all of it together on one plate. 

Waffle and pancake houses have sprung up in all parts of the USA tempting us with a range of what can only be described as hippsterish delights. We don’t just have maple infused bacon, cream, banana and chocolate sauce, we have salt and pepper, tomato sauce, chives and garlic, cream cheese… I recently had one with pulled pork, barbecue sauce and apple coleslaw.

Waffles and pancakes don’t have to be paired up with sweet combinations, savoury has also been well represented. It sounds quite intriguing to anyone developing a savoury sensation but waffles lend themselves very well to this type of culinary development. Perhaps the simplest method is to cut out the sugar. Chefs have combined waffles with chicken pieces and nuggets for example.

We’ve also seen a wafflewich which is like (you’ve guessed it) a version of a sandwich. It has been seen on fast food trucks, in wine bars and a few restaurants. One classic is the buttermilk-fried chicken wafflewiche which made an appearance on Justin Funamura’s Waffle Roost. These are two food trucks trawling California’s Silicon Valley and giving the casual passerby something a little more stylish for their brunch.

 

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1 Comment

  1. Have you tried the waffles maker by Salter ? When I first started with a griddle, I found myself making loads which were too soft in the middle or so burnt it meant soaking everything for a month just to get rid of the smell and the black bits. Then I bought a waffle maker and I never really looked back. These generally take out so much of the pain it is truly unbelievable. I mention Salter but that is the one I have at the moment. I bought Sage from Heston Blumenthal and that is also a good one. Whatever the case, I get nearly perfect waffles every time. It is down to the waffle mix and how I understand the machine.

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