French toast

French toast is a dish of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs and often milk or cream, then pan-fried. Alternative names and variants include eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, and poor knights (of Windsor).Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed., 2006, s.v. 'poor' S3

When French toast is served as a sweet dish, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon are also commonly added before pan-frying, and then it may be topped with sugar (often powdered sugar), butter, fruit, or syrup. When it is a savoury dish, it is generally fried with a pinch of salt or pepper, and it can then be served with a sauce such as ketchup or mayonnaise.

Names This dish occurs in various forms and under different names in many places, but this article calls it "French toast" for convenience.

French The usual French name is () , reflecting its use of stale or otherwise "lost" bread. It may also be called in Canada.Trésor de la Langue Française Informatisé s.v. pain

German An Austrian and Bavarian term is because the shape of the dish is reminiscent of medieval knights' shields from the city of Pavia.Ammon, Ulrich (2004). Variantenwörterbuch des Deutschen: die Standardsprache in Österreich, der Schweiz und Deutschland sowie in Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Ostbelgien und Südtirol, , p. 552.

Hungarian In Hungary, it is commonly called ().

Dutch In the Netherlands and Flanders, Belgium, it is called , first used in 1623, from ("turn") + , plural of ("pastry"). A common, but unlikely belief is that means bitch (female dog) here. It is also popularly believed to be a bastardization of ("turn it for a (little) bit"). In Flanders, it is also known as , a translation of the French ("lost bread"), or ("reclaimed bread").

History The Apicius, a 1st-century CE Ancient Roman cookbook, includes a recipe under 'another sweet dish' full text which some authors consider "not very different" from modern French toast; full text others say "this isn't real French toast because it has no egg in it". The Latin text does not include eggs, but some translations include egg as an editorial interpolation.; the interpolations are shown in square brackets. This is not a reliable edition (see ) but is available online. The recipe (Grocock 7.11.3) cooks milk-soaked bread chunks and pours honey over them. A different recipe called Aliter Dulcia (7.11.4) does include eggs but not bread and gives a sort of custard, not French toast.

In Le Viandier, a cookbook written around 1300, the French chef Guillaume Taillevent presented a recipe for involving eggs and sugar.

A 14th-century German recipe uses the name , a name also used in English and the Nordic languages.

In the 15th century, there are English recipes for Austin, T. Two 15th-century Cookery-books, 1888, quoting a 1450 recipe, quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary. and culinary expert Martino da Como also offers a recipe.Odile Redon, et al., The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy, 2000, p. 207f

In Spain, one of the first recipes was published in 1611 by .

Hannah Woolley included a recipe in her 1670s cookbook The Queen-Like Closet. She did not call it "French."

Preparation

Slices of bread are soaked or dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs, often whisked with milk or cream. Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla may be added to the mixture. The bread is then fried in butter or olive oil until browned and cooked through. Day-old bread is often used, both for its thrift and because it will soak up more egg mixture without falling apart.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:

The cooked slices may be served with sugar or sweet toppings such as caramel, ice cream, jam, honey, fruit, or maple syrup.

Variations There are many variations. The dipping mixture might not include eggs[Compleat Cook (1659) as quoted in the OED Citation incomplete, needs improvement] and the bread may be soaked in wine, rosewater, or orange juice, either before or after cooking.Ayto, John. The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink, , p. 142.Islip, Adam (1611). A Dictionarie [sic] of the French and English Tongues, full text

International versions

Asia In Armenia, or () is a thin and crispy breakfast food. It is typically topped with sugar, simple syrup, or honey. In Georgia, () is a popular savoury dish served at brunch or breakfast dish. It may include cheese.

In India, Bombay toast or sweet French bread is sold on the streets of Mumbai by hawkers and vendors. French toast in India is usually an unsweetened dish with no milk in the batter. The egg-soaked bread is fried and may be flavoured with salt, fried onions, green chilis, cilantro leaves, and other savory ingredients. It is often served with tomato ketchup (often chili-spiced ketchup).Hong Kong–style French toast () is two slices of bread filled with peanut butter or fruit jam, dipped in beaten egg, then fried. It is served with butter and topped with condensed milk, golden syrup or honey. It is a typical offering in cha chaan teng (Hong Kong–style diners or teahouses). Other fillings are meat floss, kaya jam, ham, or beef satay.Through the years, cha chaan tengs and tea stalls have developed more elaborate variations of Hong Kong–style French toast. Modern versions may use Nutella, custard, taro and black sesame as toppings, as well as fillings such as red bean paste, Ovaltine and pork floss, and salted-egg "Golden Lava".

French toast is a familiar menu item in the hawker centres of Singapore, where it is often part of a breakfast set with soft-boiled eggs or coconut jam (kaya).

Europe

Western In France, () has a wide range of regional variations. In Germany, () or were known since at least the 14th century (mentioned in Deutsches Wörterbuch (The German Dictionary) by the Brothers Grimm). In the UK and Ireland, it is also known as eggy bread or occasionally Gypsy toast, a name that dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries. It was also called pamperdy or poor knight's pudding. Eggy bread can be served as a sweet or savoury dish, and is often served with bacon when savoury. The other names refer to the sweet version. A commercial product known as French toast is sold in packets in supermarkets but this typically contains no egg and is more similar to Melba toast.

is a similar recipe traditionally prepared in Spain for Lent and Holy Week. It is usually made by soaking stale bread in milk or wine with honey and spices. It is dipped in beaten egg and fried with olive oil. This technique breaks down the fibres of the bread and results in a pastry with a crisp outside and smooth inside. It is often sprinkled with cinnamon as a final touch. or were first mentioned by the Spanish composer, poet and playwright Juan del Encina (1468–1533) in his , published in 1496. has the following verse:

In the Netherlands, French toast is called , (), or (). It is a sweet breakfast dish that can also be eaten as an afternoon treat or evening dessert. The Dutch version of this dish often uses sugar with cinnamon instead of plain sugar. are often associated with childhood, where a grandmother provides her grandchildren with a luxurious special sweet breakfast on special occasions.

Northern In Denmark, () is a sweet breakfast dish that can also be eaten as an afternoon treat or evening dessert. The Danish version of this dish uses sugar with cinnamon instead of plain sugar. In Finland, () is a dessert made by frying slices of wheat bread soaked in milk. Sometimes, a dried bun () is also used instead of wheat bread. An egg can also be mixed into milk and if desired, a little sugar and wheat flour can be added. The slices are dipped on both sides in the milk mixture before frying. Usually poor knights are eaten warm with jam and whipped cream. In some lunch restaurants, a dessert made of bun slices is called rich knights. This is to emphasise the difference from the poor knights made of French bread or other light bread. The name rich knights comes from the whipped cream crown. The poor knights have no whipped cream. In Norway, the dish is called (). Once only a dessert dish, it is now eaten for brunch or breakfast, most commonly spiced with cinnamon and cardamom.

Central and East

In Southern Slavic countries, such as Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, it is called , , , , or . It is eaten sweet or savory and paired with ajvar, jam, cheese, prosciutto, or sausage. In Romania, it is known as and almost always served as a savoury dish without milk, although milk can be requested at most dinners. In Slovakia, French toast is called chlieb vo vajci ("bread in egg") and is often prepared in a salted version. It is a popular breakfast food eaten with a cup of tea. Same goes for Poland, where it is called chleb w jajku (also "bread in egg").

In Greece, it is known as () or (). This dish is a breakfast staple that involves dipping bread in a mixture used for preparing scrambled eggs and frying it. It can be enjoyed in either a savory or sweet flavour profile, with a range of toppings and accompaniments, such as feta and honey. In Hungary, French toast is called bundáskenyér ("furry bread") and is often eaten with garlic, cheese, and sausage or ham. It is a popular breakfast item, generally eaten with a cup of tea.

Americas

In both Portugal and Brazil, are a traditional Christmas dessert.Rabanada, um antigo clássico natalino presente em todo o mundo (in Portuguese) Many recipes often use Tinto or Port wine. The dish is commonly eaten in the United States with butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. Other toppings include jam, whipped cream, and fruit. Ingredients may include challah bread.Clauss-Ehlers, Julian, and Clauss-Ehlers, Dr. Caroline. Eating Together, Being Together: How a Chef Dad and Psychologist Mom Encourage Family Connection. United States, Princeton Architectural Press, 2022, pp. 33-34. French toast was popularly served in railroad dining cars of the early and mid-20th century. The Santa Fe was especially known for its French toast, and some railroads provided recipes for these and other dining car offerings to the public as a promotional feature.

In New Orleans Louisiana Creole cuisine, French toast is known as and is most commonly served as a breakfast dish. The recipe calls for New Orleans–style French bread; the batter is an egg-based custard that may include spirits. Common toppings include cane syrup, strongly-flavoured honey, or fruit syrups; a dusting of powdered sugar is also traditional.

French toast

Bron en licentie