Place of origin | Europe |
---|---|
Serving temperature | Hot, with toppings |
Main ingredients | Bread, eggs |
Ingredients generally used | Milk or cream, herbs, spices, sauces, syrups |
Variations | Sweet |
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, [1] Bombay toast, gypsy toast, [2] and poor knights (of Windsor). [3]
When French toast is served as a sweet dish, sugar, vanilla, or 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 savory 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. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Some authors consider the recipe for Aliter Dulcia 'Another sweet dish' in the Apicius to be "not very different" from modern French toast, although it does not involve egg. [8] [9]
A 14th-century German recipe uses the name Arme Ritter'poor knights', [10] [11] a name also used in English [3] and the Nordic languages. Also in the 14th-century, Taillevent presented a recipe for "tostées dorées". [12] Italian 15th-century culinary expert Martino da Como offers a recipe. [13]
The usual French name is pain perdu (French: [pɛ̃pɛʁdy] ⓘ 'lost bread', reflecting its use of stale or otherwise "lost" bread. It may also be called pain doré'golden bread' in Canada. [14] There are fifteenth-century English recipes for pain perdu. [10] [15] [16]
An Austrian and Bavarian term is pafese or pofese. [17] The word "soup" in the dish's name refers to bread soaked in a liquid, a sop. In Hungary, it is commonly called bundáskenyér (lit. "fluffy bread"). [18]
In Ottoman cuisine, a dish of bread soaked in eggs with honey but no milk is called fāvniyye. [19]
Slices of bread are soaked or dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs, often whisked with milk or cream. Sliced or artisan loaves cut to 3/4 to 1" thick are frequently used as the bread of choice. [20] Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla may be variously 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. [21]
The cooked slices may be served with sugar or sweet toppings such as caramel, ice cream, jam, honey, fruit, [22] and/or maple syrup.
There are many variations. The dipping mixture might not include eggs; [23] and the bread may be soaked in wine, rosewater, or orange juice, either before or after cooking. [24] [25]
In Southern Slavic countries such as Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia it is called prženice, pohani kruh, moče or ribanjke. It is eaten sweet or savory and paired with ajvar, jam, cheese, prosciutto, or sausage. [26]
In both Portugal and Brazil, rabanadas are a traditional Christmas dessert. [27] Many recipes often use Tinto or Port wine. [28]
In Denmark, Arme Riddere (Poor Knights) 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. [29] [30]
In Finland, Köyhät Ritarit (Poor Knights) 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 make a difference to 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 France, pain perdu has a wide range of regional variations. [31]
In Georgia it is known as kikliko (Georgian :ყიყლიყო, romanized:q'iq'liq'o). It is a popular dish for brunch or breakfast and is almost always served as a savory dish. Sometimes different kinds of cheese are also combined. [32] [33]
In Germany, Arme Ritter (Poor Knights) or Pofesen are at least known since the 14th century (mentioned in Deutsches Wörterbuch (The German Dictionary) by the Brothers Grimm). [34]
In Greece, it is known as Avgofetes (Greek : Αυγόφετες) or Avgopsomo (Greek: Αυγόψωμο). This dish is a breakfast staple that involves dipping bread in scrambled eggs and frying it. It can be enjoyed in either a savory or sweet flavor profile, with a range of toppings and accompaniments, such as feta and honey.
Hong Kong-style French toast (Chinese : 西多士 ; Cantonese Yale :sāidōsí; lit.'western toast') is typically prepared by combining multiple slices of bread with peanut butter or fruit jam filling, then dipping in beaten egg and deep frying. [35] It is served with butter, and topped with golden syrup or honey. [35] [36] It is a typical offering in cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style diners or teahouses). [36] Other types of filling that can be found are meat floss, kaya jam, ham, or beef satay. [35] [37]
In India, Bombay toast is a dish sold on the "streets of Mumbai" by hawkers and vendors, [38] Bombay toast is also called Sweet French Bread. [39]
In Norway, Arme Riddere (Poor Knights). Once only a dessert dish, it is now eaten for brunch or breakfast. Most common spices are cinnamon and cardamom. [40] [41]
In Romania, it is known as frigănele and, almost always, served as a savory dish, and, often enough, without milk, although milk can be requested at most dinners. [42]
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).
Torrija [10] 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 cooking technique breaks down the fibres of the bread and results in a pastry with a crispy outside and smooth inside. [43] It is often sprinkled with cinnamon as a final touch.
Torrijas or torrejas were first mentioned by the Spanish composer, poet and playwright Juan del Encina (1468–1533) in his Cancionero, published in 1496. "Anda acá pastor" has the verse "En cantares nuevos/ gocen sus orejas,/ miel y muchos huevos/ para hacer torrejas,/ aunque sin dolor/ parió al Redentor". [44]
In The Netherlands, French toast is called wentelteefjes, verloren brood (lost bread), or gewonnen brood (reclaimed bread). 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. Wentelteefjes are often associated with childhood, where a grandmother provides her grandchildren with a luxury special sweet breakfast on special occasions.
In the UK, it is commonly known as eggy bread or occasionally Gypsy toast, a name which dates back to the 14th and 15th century. It was also called Pamperdy or Poor Knights Pudding. It is served as a savory dish. [2]
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. [45]
In New Orleans Louisiana Creole cuisine, French toast is known as pain perdu and is most commonly served as a breakfast dish. [46] The recipe calls for New Orleans-style French bread; the batter is an egg-based custard that may include spirits. [46] [47] [48] Common toppings include cane syrup, strongly flavored honey, or fruit syrups; a dusting of powdered sugar is also traditional. [47] [48]
Bread pudding is a bread-based dessert popular in many countries' cuisines. It is made with stale bread and milk or cream, generally containing eggs, a form of fat such as oil, butter or suet and, depending on whether the pudding is sweet or savory, a variety of other ingredients. Sweet bread puddings may use sugar, syrup, honey, dried fruit, nuts, as well as spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, or vanilla. The bread is soaked in the liquids, mixed with the other ingredients, and baked.
A pancake is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying with oil or butter. It is a type of batter bread. Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes were probably eaten in prehistoric societies.
A crêpe or crepe is a very thin type of pancake. Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes or savoury galettes. They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, fruit, vegetables, meats, and a variety of spreads. Crêpes can also be flambéed, such as in crêpes Suzette.
Fried bread is a slice of bread that has been fried. It is used as a substitute for toast in various dishes or meals. Various oils, butter, lard, bacon drippings, or ghee can be used. Some cooks may choose to fry rather than toast to avoid having to give counter or storage space to or spend money on a toaster. Proponents of frying rather than toasting call out the extra flavor and crispiness that can be achieved by frying in fat rather than dry-toasting.
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and other ingredients such as cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins.
A rusk is a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake, rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the UK, the name also refers to a wheat-based food additive.
Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, in the sense of the rough area of former Ottoman Syria. The cuisine has similarities with Egyptian cuisine, North African cuisine and Ottoman cuisine. It is particularly known for its meze spreads of hot and cold dishes, most notably among them ful medames, hummus, tabbouleh and baba ghanoush, accompanied by bread.
Matzah brei, sometimes spelled matzah brie, matzoh brei, or matzo brei, is a dish of Ashkenazi Jewish origin made from matzah fried with eggs. It is commonly eaten as a breakfast food during the Jewish holiday of Passover. It can be prepared either sweet or savory.
Capirotada or Capilotade, also known as Capirotada de vigilia, is a traditional Mexican food similar to a bread pudding that is usually eaten during the Lenten period. It is one of the dishes served on Good Friday.
The cuisine of Bahrain consists of dishes such as biryani, harees, khabeesa, machboos, mahyawa, quzi and zalabia. Arabic coffee (qahwah) is the national beverage.
A great variety of cassava-based dishes are consumed in the regions where cassava is cultivated, and the ingredient is included many national or ethnic specialities.
Swabian cuisine is native to Swabia, a region in southwestern Germany comprising great parts of Württemberg and the Bavarian part of Swabia. Swabian cuisine has a reputation for being rustic, but rich and hearty. Fresh egg pastas, soups, and sausages are among Swabia's best-known types of dishes, and Swabian cuisine tends to require broths or sauces; dishes are rarely "dry".
Breakfast, the first meal of the day eaten after waking from the night's sleep, varies in composition and tradition across the world.