French toast

For the band, see French Toast (band)

French toast

French toast is a food made with bread and eggs. It is a Christmas time dessert in Portugal and Brazil and an Easter dessert in Spain. Where French toast is served as a sweet dish, milk, sugar, or cinnamon are also commonly added before frying, and it may be then topped with sugar, butter, fruit, syrup, or other items. Where it is a savory dish, it is generally fried with a pinch of salt, and then served with a sauce such as ketchup or mayonnaise.

Etymology

French toast

The earliest official mention of French toast is in the Apicius, a collection of Latin recipes dating back to the 4th or 5th century. The Brothers Grimm mention it as Arme Ritter in the Deutsches Wörterbuch, quoting from the Buch von guter Spyse, which dates back to the 14th century. Another early mention is in the time of the reign of Henry V, when it was known as pain perdu in England. Pain perdu means "lost bread"; stale bread that might have otherwise been thrown away could be used for this dish.

The Oxford English Dictionary cites usages of "French toast" in a book called The Accomplisht Cook in 1660, which listed a recipe for French toast (toasted bread with wine, orange juice, and sugar). The Dictionary of American Food and Drink states the first egg-based recipe appeared in print in 1870.

A similar dish, suppe dorate, was popular in England during the Middle Ages, although the English might have learned it from the Normans, who had a dish called tostees dorees.

Preparation

French toast topped with fruit and whipped cream

Slices of bread are dipped in a beaten egg and dairy mixture. The slices of egg-coated bread are then placed on a frying pan or griddle prepared with a coat of butter or oil, and cooked until both sides are browned and the egg has cooked through. For the best results, the bread is sliced and let dried overnight. The hardness of the bread keeps the bread from absorbing too much egg and getting soggy.

The cooked slices can be served with toppings, including jam, butter, peanut butter, honey, Marmite, Vegemite, maple syrup, golden syrup, fruit syrup, molasses, apple sauce, beans, beef, lard, whipped cream, fruit, tomato ketchup (when sugar is not used), chocolate, sugar, yogurt, powdered sugar, marmalade, bacon, treacle, cheese (often with ham), ice cream, gravy or various nuts such as pecans. Heating the oil or butter with chopped garlic, chillies or onions is effective to add flavor.

Variations

Stuffed French toast is two pieces of French toast that are stuffed with bananas, strawberries, or other fruit. It is usually topped with butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar.

Regional variations

English-speaking world

A French toast breakfast is served at the Ruby Slipper Restaurant in New Orleans.

In the United States, distinctive regional or ethnic breads have sometimes been preferred. In the Western and Southwestern US, some restaurants prepare it with sourdough bread. In the New York metropolitan area, within the Jewish-American communities, it is common to make it with challah. In many Jewish-American households, it is traditional to use the leftover challah from Friday night Sabbath dinner to make French toast on Sunday morning.

In Canada, the most popular topping is maple syrup.

In the United Kingdom, it is also known as "eggy bread", "egg dip" or "gypsy toast": a version with jam was once popularly known as "Poor Knights of Windsor". Savory variations are more common than sweet. e.g. ketchup or Marmite spread on the bread or used for dipping. Eggy bread is rarely found in cafes, being more of a household favorite made for breakfast or tea and flavored and/or augmented with whatever ingredients are to hand.

In Australia and New Zealand, French toast is a breakfast or brunch dish, made by pan-frying individual sliced bread or baguette slices dipped in a mixture of egg, sugar, and spices. It is sometimes served with banana and fried bacon, and topped with maple syrup. A more basic version, popular in the past in outback Queensland and northern New South Wales, uses a plain egg-and-milk mixture, with toppings and/or side dishes added after cooking, and is or was known as "fairy bread" (this should not be confused with the children's party food fairy bread). Another popular variation in New Zealand uses a mixture of eggs yolks, milk and grated cheese to make a savory breakfast food. Common in Queensland, French toast which is also referred to as fried bread, is served with cheese and/or tomato sauce as a savory meal.

Asia

Hong Kong style French toast served in Cha chaan tengs, the toppings include syrup and a slab of butter.

In Hong Kong, French toast, called 西多士 (Cantonese [sɐ́i tɔ́ː ɕǐː]; jyutping: sai1 do1 si2; Mandarin Pinyin: xīduōshì; "western toast", but actually an abbreviation of "法蘭西多士", "French toast"), is available all day round, but is particularly popular for breakfast and afternoon tea in Hong Kong-style western restaurants and cha chaan tengs. It is made by deep frying stacked sliced bread dipped in beaten egg or soy, and served with a slab of butter and topped with golden syrup, or sometimes honey. Two slices are normally used and a sweet filling is usually added, either peanut butter, kaya, or more rarely, jam. In other non-Cantonese speaking parts of Greater China, it is usually called 吐司 (Pinyin: tǔsī; literally "toast").

In India, the version is salted rather than sweet. The egg is beaten with milk, salt, green chili and chopped onion. Bread is dunked into this mixture and is deep fried in butter or cooking oil. It is normally served with ketchup. In Pakistan, the French toast is known as Meetha toast ("sweet toast") and is popular in breakfasts. In Burma, it is known as Bombay toast.

Europe and Latin America

In Italy, a variation is served as mozzarella in carrozza ("mozzarella in carriage"). In this version, a slice of fresh mozzarella is sandwiched between two slices of bread and the whole dipped in egg and fried. It can be seasoned with salt, but is not sweet like French toast and is not eaten for breakfast. It is often topped with a tomato sauce, which is then sometimes garnished with some chopped parsley and grated cheese to make three broad stripes of green, white and red, the colors of the Italian flag.

In the Czech Republic, it is called smaženka, but in some parts of the country (especially on the east), smaženka denotes a slice of bread with omelette, mustard, gherkin and sometimes onions and peppers on it. There are some regional names for the dish too.

In Greece, it is called αυγόφετες (eggslices) and is typically made from slices of stale bread soaked in milk or water to soften it, dipped in egg, fried in oil and eaten with sugar and cinnamon, cheese, jam or just by itself. It is usually eaten as a breakfast food or cold snack.

In Spain, it is called torrijas and is typically made during Lent, out of thick slices of bread soaked in milk or wine, dipped in egg, fried and then drenched in spiced honey or cinnamon. In Catalonia, they are also known as torradetes de Santa Teresa.

In Portugal, it is called fatias douradas, rabanadas or fatias de parida, and is typically made during Christmas, from slices of bread leftovers (when it is too hard to be eaten normally) soaked in milk or water to soften it, dipped in beaten eggs, fried in the least amount of vegetable oil possible (to prevent it from soaking up and becoming too greasy) and then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, soaked in a syrup made with water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and lemon skin or in Port or Madeira wine. It is usually eaten cold as a dessert or a snack.

In Brazil, it is called rabanadas and follows the Portuguese recipe. It is quite often used to celebrate a birth, as well as at Christmas, Easter and New Year celebrations. It is traditionally made from a special loaf of bread available at bakeries during those holidays - Pão de Rabanada - and always bought the day before. After being fried, it is sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon only. A variant consists of adding some red wine to the milk. It may be eaten hot or cold.

In Germany, Arme Ritter (poor knights) are made from bread leftovers as a fast and simple meal. There are several local alternatives in serving: with a mix of sugar and cinnamon, filled with plum-jam or with vanilla sauce. Sometimes it is made with wine instead of milk, and therefore called Betrunkene Jungfrau, "drunken virgin".

In the Netherlands and Belgium, it is Wentelteefjes and is made from bread leftovers with eggs, milk and a mix of sugar and cinnamon, baked in butter. They are usually eaten as breakfast or served with ice cream as dessert. In Belgium, some call it boterham in de pan ("sandwich in the pan").

In Norway and Denmark, it is also called Arme Riddere, with milk, sugar, cinnamon and served with whipped cream. In Sweden, it is referred to as fattiga riddare and in Finland as köyhät ritarit, also meaning "poor knights".

In Turkey, it is called yumurtalı ekmek, literally "eggy bread". It is considered breakfast or brunch food, served as an appetizer with traditional Turkish breakfast and very popular with children. Thick white bread slices dipped in beaten eggs, milk, pepper and salt then fried in a pan.

In the ex-Yugoslavian nations, it is made with fairly thick pieces of bread. It is usually enjoyed with sour cream, cheese, jam or just by itself.

In Russia, the бедные рыцари (Bednye rytsari/"poor knights", apparently after the English name) are made of white bread, soaked in milk and egg and fried in a pan with oil afterward. This name is almost unheard of since the Russian Revolution, as the recipe have since became known as гренки (grenki). They are eaten both sweet (with a liberal amount of sugar added to the omelette mix before soaking the bread) and savory, but the latter variant is less popular nowadays. Egg is also sometimes omitted, with only the sweetened milk used.

In Hungary, it is called bundáskenyér (fluffy bread) and served as a breakfast food. It is dipped in a mixture of milk, beaten eggs, salt and pepper before frying, and usually served with onions and tomatoes, mayonnaise, or ketchup.

In Bulgaria, it is called Пържени филийки (fried slices). It is considered breakfast food, and very popular with children. It is prepared by dipping the stale bread slices (white bread) in a thin batter of milk or yogurt, eggs, and some flour, and frying in sunflower oil until golden on both sides. It goes well with any preserves, honey, dusted with powder sugar, or with white Bulgarian cheese.

Pain perdu

Pain perdu with syrup, fruit, and crème anglaise

In France, Belgium, New Orleans, Acadiana, Newfoundland and the Congo, French toast is called pain perdu, which means "lost bread" in French. It is called "lost bread" because it is a way to reclaim stale or "lost" bread. The hard bread is softened by dipping in a mixture of milk and eggs, and then fried. The bread is sliced on a bias and dipped into a mixture of egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. The slices are pan-fried in butter and traditionally served dusted with powdered sugar and jam on the side. Alternatively, it may be served with syrup.

In New Orleans, pain perdu is a local variation of French toast. It is made from leftover New Orleans-style French bread. The bread resembles a French baguette, but has a crunchier exterior and a lighter interior. It is eaten for breakfast in New Orleans.

In France, pain perdu is considered to be a dessert and not a breakfast food item.

History and geographical spread

Where a stale, crunchy bread might seem unappetizing, using the bread in cooking solves the problem without waste. One way is to soak the bread in milk and fry it. The origins of the recipe are unknown, although a version appears in the fourth century Roman cookbook, often attributed to Apicius ("Aliter dulcia siligineos rasos frangis et buccellas maiores facies in lacte infundis frigis [et] in oleo mel superfundis et inferes" - "Another sweet: Break grated Sigilines (a kind of wheat bread), and make larger bites. Soak in milk, fry in oil, douse in honey and serve."). This was also known as pan dulcis. Similar dishes have existed in many countries and under many names, known in Medieval Europe as:

• Albania: buke me veze (literally "bread with egg")
• Austria: Pofesen (a medieval type of shield whose shape resembles a slice of bread)
• Spain: torrijas (first citation in 15th century, by Juan del Encina. They could be quite similar to aliter dulcia, although there are many other variants)
• Croatia: pohani kruh
• England: suppe dorate (Italian for "gilded sippets")
• France: pain perdu (lost bread)
• Germany: Armer Ritter (poor knight; the name is sometimes meant to originate from poor knights in Medieval times, having not enough gold to pay for meat, and thus eating old bread slices, coated with egg and fried)
• Hungary: bundás kenyér (fluffy bread or bread with fur)
• Lebanon: pain perdu
• Portugal: rabanadas or fatias douradas (golden slices of bread)
• Yugoslavia and some successor republics: прженице - prženice

Modern versions occur in countries under other names:

• Belgium: verloren brood, wentelteefjes, gewonnen brood, or gebakken boterhammen (lost bread, won bread, or baked sandwiches, as it was traditionally made from stale bread) in Flanders, pain perdu in Wallonia
• Brazil: rabanada or "fatia parida"(in the northeast region of Brazil)
• Bulgaria: пържени филии - părzheni filii (fried slices [of bread])
• Bosnia: prženice
• Canada (in francophone regions): pain doré (golden bread)
• Czech Republic: chleba v kožíšku (bread in the little coat)
• Denmark and Norway: arme riddere (poor knights)
• England: eggy Bread and Gypsy toast
• Estonia: vaesed rüütlid (poor knights)
• Finland köyhät ritarit (poor knights) when eaten plain or with butter, rikkaat ritarit (rich knights) when rolled in powdered sugar, sprinkled with it until fully covered or alternatively covered with whipped cream to provide the white base, and an eye of red-colored jam added in the center.
• Greece: αβγόφετα (avgófeta, egg-slice)
• Guatemala: tostadas a la francesa
• Hong Kong: 西多士 (western toast)
• Iceland: Franskt eggjabrauð (French egg-bread)
• Israel: לחם מטוגן (fried bread)
• Indonesia: roti telur (egg bread)
• Mexico: pan francés, torreja (northern Mexico)
• Morocco: خبز بالبيض (khobz belbid, bread with eggs), and another variant without eggs and with orange blossom water and sugar: خبز بالزهر (khobz bezz’har, bread with orange blossom water)
• Netherlands: wentelteefjes (etymology unclear, wentelen = "to turn over", teefje = "female dog", or "wentel 't eefjes" = "turn it for a short time"). Used in some parts of Flanders, Belgium as well.
• Pakistan: meetha thoasth (sweet toast)
• Philippines: cheesy French toast, often eaten with maple or chocolate syrup
• Portugal: rabanadas, fatias douradas or fatias de parida (sliced bread coated in an egg wash, fried in oil and coated with sugar and cinnamon, usually eaten over Christmas holiday)
• Poland: grzanki francuskie (French toasts)
• Romania: frigănele, sometimes pâine cu ou (bread with egg)
• Russia: гренки - grěnki
• Serbia: prženice (fried bread), moče (dipped bread), pofezne, pohovan hleb
• Scotland: Gypsy toast, eggy Bread
• Slovenia: Šnite (Slices)
• South India and Sri Lanka: Bombay toast
• Spain: torrija
• Slovakia: chlieb vo vajíčku (bread in the egg)
• Sweden: fattiga riddare (poor knights)
• Switzerland: Fotzelschnitten (rascals' slices)
• Turkey: ekmek kızartması (fried bread), or ekmek balığı (breadfish / fish of bread), or yumurtalı ekmek (bread with egg)
• Ukraine: грінки - hrynky
• United Kingdom: poor knights of Windsor, Gypsy toast and in parts of Cumbria, pandora.
• US: Overwhelmingly French toast, though it may on rare occasion be called German toast, Spanish toast, nun's toast, egg toast or French fried pudding.

See also

• Egg in the basket
• Matzah brei
• Migas

Further reading

• Claiborne, Craig (1985). Craig Claiborne's The New York Times Food Encyclopedia. New York: Times Books. ISBN 0812912713.
• 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 0867307846.
• Redon, Odilie; et al. (1998). The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press. ISBN 0226706842. {{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |last2= (help)

External links

The Best French Toast Recipe! From Lost Bread to French Toast