Around the 15th century, waffles began to evolve. Basically, a dough was tied between two iron gratings, some of quite elaborate design, and consumed as a sweet and used in religious ceremonies. The dough was often flavored with flower water and honey, cooked and served with extra honey or fruit, and enjoyed as a dessert rather than as a breakfast meal. As in the French, the finished product could be stored for several days and traveled well. It was first introduced to settlers by gastronomic president Thomas Jefferson in 1789, who returned from France with the first known waffle iron to grace our shores (no invention went unnoticed by foodie Thomas) who proceeded to enjoy and serve waffles at Their dinners state as a final dish, along with fresh berries and cream.

In North America, Belgian waffles (spelled with an “a”) are a variety with a lighter batter, larger squares, and deeper pockets than ordinary American waffles. They were originally fermented with yeast, but now baking powder is used. First presented in 1958 at Expo 58 in Brussels, Belgium by a European, they found their way across the pond and were featured at the Century 21 Exposition in Seattle in 1962, served with whipped cream and strawberries. In the future, they became even more popular during the 1964 New York World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. These waffles were introduced by Maurice Vermersch from Brussels, Belgium, based primarily on a simplified recipe from Brussels. At first, he wisely decided to change the name to Bel-Gem Waffle, after observing that many Americans could not identify Brussels as the capital of Belgium. (Worse, many people would associate them with Brussels sprouts, America’s most despised food.)

For centuries, waffles were mainly consumed in Western and Northern European countries and there are many variations. Here’s a quick summary:

Tea cork the waffle is a richer, denser, sweeter and more chewy waffle; native to the eastern region of Belgium and also known as hunting waffles;

Flemish waffles, golden Flamenco waffles, are a specialty of northern France and parts of western Belgium. made with yeast;

American waffles – generally denser and thinner than Belgian waffles, often made with a sourdough with baking powder and served for breakfast;

Bergische waffles, crisp and less dense, usually heart-shaped; also a smaller wedge-shaped version serves as a decoration in a frozen dessert or together with a cup of tea;

Hong Kong style, also called “grid cake”, popular street food in China;

Waffle Cone: They are recognized by all Americans, thin and cone-shaped while still hot, chilled, and filled with ice cream;

Chicken and waffles: popular in southern cuisine and soul food, but also attributed to Dutch cooks in Pennsylvania in the 19th century; they are still served in many regional restaurants and are up there with fried chicken fillet and other southern favorites; It’s not rocket science here, pieces of fried chicken are placed on top of a waffle and soaked in syrup;

In the early part of the 20th century, no kitchen worth its salt lacked the proverbial waffle iron, often a popular wedding gift, and the favorite weekend breakfast with bacon or ham. In 1953, busy housewives put down their heavy waffle irons forever when the frozen “Eggo” waffles, a huge time saver and a quick breakfast, were introduced, simply placed in the toaster. To this day they are still a great seller along with pancakes and French toast. In 2017 alone, 164.8 million Americans consumed all three, either packaged or homemade. And the popular restaurant chain Waffle House has sold 877,388,027 since it opened in 1955. So whether you prefer their take-out version or as an elaborate dish topped with berries and cream, they are readily available – no iron required. A kind of permanent press breakfast.