Reader Angela (who seems to have some expert knowledge in this area), weighs in on the linguistic connection between the Greek and Mexican names for waffles: In some 16th century Portuguese texts it’s common to find the word obreia or obrea, meaning “communion bread”. And of course, back then the Portuguese and the Spanish had […]

If, like me, you’re weary of being shamed over the foods you eat (think HFCS, think veal, think foie gras, think hand-caught baby harp seal en croûte), you might be comforted to know that the practice of shaming others over their dietary choices is nothing new in America. Cane sugar is perhaps the archetypal politically […]

Reader and regular commenter Don Cuevas points out something interesting about Greek proto-waffles, obleios: I’d like to note also that obleas are also part of a confection in the Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico area. They are two, very thin and crisp wafers, with a filling of cajeta, a sort of caramelized milk. Very interesting indeed. I […]

It’s hard for modern Americans to imagine a waffle without maple syrup (or at least imitation maple syrup) on it. Waffles with maple syrup have become an American tradition. Yet as I intimated in my own silly way in the post down below, it’s a tradition that was originally born of necessity. Sweeteners were a […]

You’re an early American colonist. A pilgrim, let’s say, at Plymouth. You’re English, but you spent a few years kicking around in Holland seeking refuge from religious persecution. While among the Dutch you happened to sample a new fad food called the wafel (it happened one crazy night at Frans de Grebber’s house…those artists throw […]

A number of you have asked that in regard to the waffle recipe I put up. It’s a good question, especially since most of us have been trained to think of corn starch (flour) as a thickener versus a bread building material. But in fact corn flour does work well as a regular flour, and […]