Waffle

A waffle is a kind of cake made from made from leavened batter or dough. It is baked in an iron utensil of hinged halves called a waffle iron.

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Proper Belgian waffles are not meant to have any toppings, instead including caramelized sugar in the dough. Ice cream in particular is scorned, as it reduces the warmth of the waffle.

Eggo waffles were originally called "Froffles", but because of the strong egg taste, the public called them "Eggos".

The first known waffle recipe was penned in an anonymous manuscript, Le Ménagier de Paris, in a the late 14th century by a husband as a set of instructions to his young wife.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1559 painting The Fight Between Carnival and Lent (see below) includes one of the first known images of waffles.

The stove-top waffle iron was patented on August 24, 1869. It was invented by Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York.

In memory of Swartwout's patent, National Waffle Day in the United States is celebrated on August 24 each year.

The largest ever waffle was created by Stichting Gouda Oogst (Gouda Harvest Foundation) in Nieuwe Markt, Gouda, Netherlands, on June 29, 2013. The waffle weighed 50 kilograms (110 lb) and had a diameter of 2.47 meters (8 ft 1.24 in). It was made with 25 kilograms (55 lb) of flour, 12 kilograms (26 lb) of butter, 10 kilograms (22 lb) of sugar, and 10 kilograms (22 lb) of eggs. The waffle was cooked in a specially made waffle iron that was 3 meters (9.8 ft) wide and 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) long. It took about 30 minutes to cook the waffle and had to be lifted with a crane!

The first Waffle House opened on September 5, 1955 at 2719 East College Avenue in Avondale Estates, Georgia.

The first Waffle House restaurant in Avondale Estates. By Big Wang

Waffle House serves 2% off all the eggs eaten in America.

People who work for Waffle House Corporate spend one day a year working in a Waffle House restaurant.

FEMA sometimes measures a storm's impact using a thing called the waffle house index - which locations are running low on supplies or forced to close. This is because there are so many of them and they have the unique ability to operate completely off gas for power/heating/cooking. So if the waffle house is closed then its tantamount to complete disaster!