Extending an olive branch to France, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, wants the House cafeteria to go back to listing “French toast” on the menu; the breakfast staple was rechristened “Freedom toast” last spring, in protest over France’s opposition to Gulf War II. But is French toast really French?
Culinary historians disagree over whether French toast has exclusively Gallic roots. The simple concoction of bread, eggs, and milk likely dates back to Medieval times, when the battering process was used to make stale loaves more palatable. The question is whether the French were truly the first to dip and fry their bread, or whether other Europeans stumbled upon the “invention” on their own. For example, a similar dish called suppe dorate was popular in England during the Middle Ages; it’s unclear, however, whether it was brought over from what’s now France by the Normans, who may have delighted in something called tostees dorees before toppling King Harold II in 1066.
According to promotional literature produced by IHOP, the first written mention of the delicacy comes from the court of Henry V of England. It was called pain perdu, or “lost bread,” perhaps a reference to the fact that the battering rescues bread that would otherwise be discarded as too old. (Residents of Cajun country are quite familiar with pain perdu, as that’s the local slang for an especially rich version of French toast.) Vernacular texts from around the same time refer to virtually identical dishes called either “nun’s toast” or “poor knights of Windsor.” In Spain, it was called torriga; in Germany, arme ritter.
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The Oxford English Dictionary cites 1660 as the year “French toast” first made an appearance, in a book called The Accomplisht Cook. That preparation, however, left out the eggs, in favor of soaking pre-toasted bread in a solution of wine, sugar, and orange juice. The Dictionary of American Food and Drink contends that the first egg-based recipe in print didn’t appear until 1870; throughout the tail end of the 19th century, similar recipes appeared under the monikers “French toast,” “Egg toast,” “Spanish toast,” and even “German toast.”
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A contradictory, though highly dubious, creation myth holds that French toast owes its creation to an Albany, N.Y., innkeeper named Joseph French. Legend has it that French whipped up a batch of the golden-brown treats in 1724 and advertised them as “French toast” because he’d never learned to use an apostrophe “s.”
Another unlikely story is that French toast was always called German toast until World War I, when the change was made for patriotic reasons. Though French toast certainly gained nationwide popularity during this era, it’s generally agreed that this tale of disrespecting the Kaiser via toast-renaming is apocryphal.
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Explainer thanks George J. Oliver of the University of Maryland.
In fact, French toast was invented long before France even existed. The first known recorded recipe for French toast comes from Rome around 300 A.D. The Roman author Apicius included it in his cookbook titled "Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome". For centuries, the French themselves called this dish "Roman Bread
Roman Bread
Ancient Roman bread was typically made from sourdough. White raised bread was preferred over unleavened bread; the latter was associated with the lower classes. Sourdough bread was made by mixing flour with water, and leaving the mix in the open air, to be colonised by wild, airborne yeasts.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Baking_in_ancient_Rome
One of the earliest versions of french toast has been traced back to the Roman Empire. The name “french toast" was first used in 17th-century England. The recipe — and name — were brought to America by early settlers. In France, the dish is called “pain perdu," meaning “lost bread." Why lost bread?
French toast is like bread pudding. It soaks up a custard for a creamy texture on the inside and a slightly crunchy texture on the outside. If the bread is very thin, it will be too flimsy to hold together when dipped in the custard. If it's too thick, it will never cook to the center.
The phrase “French Toast” first appeared in print in the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink in 1871. But it is known by a variety of names including German toast, eggy bread, French-fried bread, gypsy toast, Poor Knights of Windsor, Spanish toast, nun's toast, and pain perdu which means “lost bread” in French.
Although it's common for Americans to enjoy their French toast with sweet berries and maple syrup, people in other nations prefer to add more savory elements to this dish. For instance, it isn't uncommon for Bulgarians and Croatians to enjoy their French toast with sausage, prosciutto, or cheese.
A staple food in France, French toast is named “Pain perdu” which translates literally to lost bread, reflecting the use of stale bread so it doesn't get “lost”. These slices of breads dunked in an eggy mixture and toasted in a pan are comforting, sweet and tender – and a breeze to make at home.
It is thought that it was popularized as 'French toast' when French immigrants brought pain perdu to America. These days, almost every region has their own version of French toast, and it can be sweet or savory. Some countries eat it as a breakfast meal, while for others, it's a sweet and indulgent treat.
A grilled cheese may also be made in a sandwich toaster, particularly in the United Kingdom where the dish is normally called a toasted cheese sandwich or cheese toastie.
In France and other French-speaking countries, fried potatoes are formally pommes de terre frites, but more commonly pommes frites, patates frites, or simply frites.
Known as golden bread or pain dore, this version of the famous egg-soaked bread is an easy preparation of thickly sliced bread soaked in sweetened cinnamon custard and then sautéed in butter to golden perfection.
French Toast is a delicious breakfast entree that is loved by many. With this in mind, french toast can be very calorie dense with high amounts of added sugar and fat. But, it can be tweaked to reduce the sugar and fat content while adding some fiber to your breakfast - yay!
The French did not invent French toast. Rather, it was Americans who gave the name "French Toast" to this dish because French immigrants in America popularized the dishe. In fact, French toast was invented long before France even existed.
1. Not choosing the right bread. The heart and soul of French toast really is the bread — use something sub-par and the final result is going to be sub-par. The best bread is spongy and sturdy so that it will be able to soak up the custard without completely falling apart.
The earliest recorded record for a dish resembling French toast was discovered in a 4th-century Roman cookbook by Marcus Gabius Apicius called "Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome." The recipe is called aliter dulcia (translation: "another sweet dish") and describes pieces of crustless white bread that are soaked in ...
Experts agree that French toast dates back to ancient Rome. A similar recipe can be found in the book of Apicius from the 5th century BC. The Romans dipped slices of bread in milk (and sometimes eggs) before frying them, and called it “Pan Dulcis.”
Yes absolutely! Although this is a sweet breakfast that almost tastes too good to be healthy, it's perfectly balanced and has lots of nutrients and fibre. Healthy fats → egg, yogurt and rapeseed oil. If you want to increase the calcium in this recipe, opt for full fat Greek yogurt/milk instead.
What is the difference between torrijas and French toast? Torrijas are similar to French toast, but boozier, with sherry in the soaking milk. Unlike the process for making French toast, for torrijas, the bread is soaked in milk and eggs separately before it is fried.
The stereotypical French breakfast is a hot drink, usually coffee or tea, and a tartine, which is a baguette, sliced horizontally, slathered with butter and/or jam.
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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