French toast is a dish made of bread soaked in eggs and milk, then fried. Alternative names and variants include eggy bread, Bombay toast, German toast, gypsy toast, poor knights (of Windsor), and Torrija.
Video French toast
History
The earliest known reference to French toast is in the Apicius, a collection of Latin recipes dating to the 4th or 5th century, where it is described as simply aliter dulcia ("another sweet dish"). The recipe says to "slice fine white bread, remove the crust, and break it into large pieces. Soak these pieces in milk and beaten egg, fry in oil, and cover with honey before serving."
A fourteenth-century German recipe uses the name Arme Ritter ("poor knights"), a name also used in English and the Nordic languages. Also in the fourteenth century, Taillevent presented a recipe for "tostées dorées". Italian 15th-century culinary expert Martino da Como offers a recipe.
The usual French name is pain perdu (French: [p?? p??dy] ( listen), "lost bread", reflecting its use of stale or otherwise "lost" bread - which gave birth to the metaphoric term pain perdu for sunk costs. It may also be called pain doré, "golden bread"in Canada. There are fifteenth-century English recipes for pain perdu.
An Austrian and Bavarian term is pafese or pofese, from zuppa pavese, referring to Pavia, Italy. 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. "furry bread").
Maps French toast
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 are 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.
The cooked slices may be served with sugar or sweet toppings such as jam, honey, fruit, or maple syrup, or served as a savory dish with ketchup or another sauce.
Variations
According to the Compleat Cook (1659) as quoted in the OED, the bread was dipped in milk only, with the egg mixture added afterwards.
Alternatively, the bread may be soaked in wine, rosewater, or orange juice, either before or after cooking.
Local versions
Portugal
In Portugal, rabanadas are a traditional Christmas dessert. The bread is dipped in egg and milk and occasionally in wine and subsequently is fried. It is topped with sugar and cinnamon and.
France
In France, pain perdu may be eaten as a dessert, or more rarely as an afternoon tea snack ("goûter"). It is very rarely eaten as a breakfast.
Spain
Torrija 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. 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. In "Anda acá pastor" one reads: "En cantares nuevos / gocen sus orejas, / miel e muchos huevos / para hacer torrejas, / aunque sin dolor / parió al Redemptor".
Hong Kong
Hong Kong-style French toast (Chinese: ???; Cantonese Yale: s?id?sí; literally: "western toast") is typically prepared by combining multiple slices of bread with peanut butter or fruit jam filling, then dipped in beaten egg and deep fried. It is served with butter, and topped with golden syrup or honey. It is a typical offering in Hong Kong teahouses (cha chaan teng). Other types of filling that can be found are meat floss, kaya jam, ham or beef satay.
United States
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 most of the railroads provided recipes of these and other dining car offerings to the public as a promotional feature.
New Orleans
In New Orleans Louisiana Creole cuisine, French toast is known as pain perdu and is most commonly served as breakfast. 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-flavored honey, or fruit syrups; a dusting of powdered sugar is also traditional.
See also
References
Further reading
- Claiborne, Craig (1985). Craig Claiborne's The New York Times Food Encyclopedia. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0-8129-1271-3.
- Farmer, Fannie (1918). The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.
- Mariani, John F. (1999). The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink. New York: Lebhar-Friedman. ISBN 0-86730-784-6.
- Redon, Odilie (1998). The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-70684-2.
External links
Source of article : Wikipedia
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