The wonder of the waffle

Plus a leftovers hack and the oldest cooked meal [View this email in your browser]( [An oil painting from the 17th century, with a large plate of waffles as the focus] A 17th-century painting of waffles. Photo: [Wikimedia Commons]( November 26th Waffles: past, present, and future [A woman with long hair holds a white and ginger cat in her arms.] By Annie Ewbank Senior Associate Editor, Gastro Obscura Kitchen devices that have only one use are often gimmicky and rather silly, like the tabletop s’mores makers that Amazon is pushing as the hot appliance of the year. (Who eats that many s’mores?) But I’d put up a fight if someone tried to take my waffle maker. Sure, it takes up half a kitchen cabinet, but it’s the rare kitchen appliance whose essential function can’t be replaced by some MacGyver-like creativity. To me, waffles are the perfect food. They’re easy to make, not too sweet, and extremely versatile. Perhaps that’s why, from medieval Europe to now, people have made room for a waffle iron in their kitchens. So this week, we’re exploring how the waffle has wound its way onto plates around the world. Waffle Frolics [An intricate, rectangular waffle iron, made of dark iron, on a white background] An engraved waffle iron. Photo: [Caroline Léna Becker/CC BY 3.0]( Waffles have long been a familiar sight at the table. Even before the first-known waffle recipe was [recorded in 1393]( people had been cooking batter-based cakes and wafers quickly in special iron pans. Wafels, an early term for the food in Dutch and German, referred to their [honeycomb-like shape]( though the irons could also be cast to press shapes such as stars and flowers into the cakes. After the Dutch introduced them to the American colonies, they became a local favorite. By the 18th century, waffles became so popular that, pre-Revolution, Americans held “waffle frolics” where the crispy treats [were the main event](. Museum collections today hold waffle irons from past centuries, which look more like long-handled torture devices. The 20th-century electric waffle maker made things significantly easier, but it would take a trio of Californian brothers to make waffles an everyday breakfast, rather than a special treat. Eggo Way One day in spring 2020, I was halfway through a very long pandemic walk when I happened to find myself on Eggo Way. I walked along imagining how some poor soul named John Eggo must have been upset when a brand of frozen waffles popped up bearing his name. But at the end of Eggo Way, I found a Kellogg's factory. Curious, I walked home and started researching, only to find that Eggo waffles do indeed hail from my hometown of San José. But the name "Eggo" was never meant to apply to waffles. Frank, Tony, and Sam Dorsa made mayonnaise. Starting their business in their mother’s house in 1932, they boasted that their version of the condiment used fresh eggs, leading them to name the fledgling company “Eggo.” Riding off their mayonnaise success, the brothers soon turned to potato chips, then a powdered waffle mix. By the 1950s, though, frozen food was on the rise. Frank, the family inventor, engineered a giant waffle-iron carousel, and the Eggo frozen waffle was born. Kellogg’s bought Eggo Food Products in the 1970s, and Eggo-brand chips and mayonnaise are no more. But Kellogg's still makes waffles on Eggo Way, and Dorsa descendants are still in the food and beverage industry—in the form of a winery in the Santa Cruz mountains, La Rusticana d'Orsa. Green Waffles [A photo of a green-tinged waffle, being torn in half by two hands.] Photo: Anne Ewbank Not far from Eggo Way is my favorite purveyor of waffles. It’s not a grocery store freezer case, nor a diner slinging plate-sized, deep-welled waffles to drown in syrup. CA Bakehouse consists of little more than a counter and a menu, but they proudly boast of being the home of “The Original Green Waffle.” In their storefront within San José’s Little Saigon, they sell the pandan-and-coconut waffles that have become a local specialty. When I say these waffles are green, I'm not kidding. While the outside is a toasty brown, the fluffy inside is a vibrant, almost turquoise green, speckled with threads of shredded coconut. They’re delicious enough to be eaten right out of hand, and Vietnamese bakeries often make them to order, with a line of smoking griddles ready to go. During Tết, or Vietnamese New Year, I follow my nose to festival food stalls: You can sniff out their intense coconut aroma anywhere. The French likely brought waffles to Vietnam during the colonial period, where they got their delicate floral flavor and green hue from leafy pandan. CA Bakehouse proudly claims to be the first place to serve them in the United States, back in 1990. While they've been around for a while, to me, they’re the future of the waffle: beyond breakfast, beyond syrup, and beyond crispy, sweet, and comforting. [A large bunch of unripe bananas hangs from a tree.] Taste Honey Like a Sommelier Honey has a long journey before it lands in your jar. Starting with the local climate, the final harvest is affected by the region’s botanical sources, the bees who visit them, and the activity of the beekeepers. In this course, join honey sensory expert C. Marina Marchese to learn how to taste honey like a sommelier, drawing on methods and vocabulary used by honey sensory experts to identify and describe scents, flavors, and textures. [Enroll by tomorrow!]( More of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things Stuffing Hack 🧇 We mentioned this tip in last week's newsletter, but it's worth repeating post-Thanksgiving. If you have some leftover stuffing, scoop it into a lightly greased waffle iron. The result is delicious by itself, or topped with cranberry sauce and turkey. Exploring the Birthplace of Tea 🍵 On this nine-day Gastro Obscura trip, we’ll explore the cultivation, production, and preparation of Chinese tea while learning about the rich history in which it’s steeped. We’ll stop to visit tea houses and temples, learn from monks and tea masters, and explore [buzzing cityscapes and tranquil lakes](. Ancient Fish 🐟 Remains of the earliest cooked meal ever found were recently unearthed at Lake Hula in Israel. Fish teeth from 780,000 years ago show that a member of Homo erectus used fire to cook a [large carp-like creature](. How would you rate this email? lowest [1]( [2]( [3]( [4]( [5]( [6]( [7]( [8]( [9]( [10]( highest Copyright © 2022 Atlas Obscura Inc., All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you once requested to be included on the Gastro Obscura Newsletter mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time. 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