Overview
About the event
Ancient Greece offered the predecessor to waffles by roasting flat cakes between two hot metal plates that were attached to long wooden handles and placed in the oven or over a fire.
By the 15th century, the Dutch in Holland were forming rectangular plates with grid patterns that were used to make waffles. The grid pattern was likely created for practical purposes, as it allowed the batter to cook more quickly and evenly than a flat cake might.
At the time, waffles were likely less sweet than they are today, as sugar was in limited supply, though they may have been sweetened with honey. It was probably the Dutch influence that brought the idea of the waffle to the New World in the early 1600s.
The word �??waffle�?� is believed to have Dutch (wafel), French (walfre) and Frankish (wafla) linguistic influences. The word first appeared in print in English in a cookbook in the early 18th century.
Even after crossing the ocean, waffles remained popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Eventually, in the 19th century, waffles changed from street vendor food in Paris to a food that was predominantly made at home. The introduction of GE�??s electric waffle maker in 1918 made it even easier for families to make waffles in their own kitchens at home.
