The first United States patent for a waffle iron was issued to Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York on August 24, 1869.
In honor of this anniversary, National Waffle Day is observed each year on August 24th.
Eaten throughout the world, a waffle is a leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape and surface impression. Waffles come in many forms. Depending on the type of batter or iron used, the resulting waffle varies by consistency, size, shape, and flavor.
Waffle irons and waffles originated around the 14th century. An anonymous husband penned the first known waffle recipe as a set of instructions for his wife. According to the manuscript, Le Ménagier de Paris, each of the four recipes began:
Beat some eggs in a bowl, season with salt and add wine. Toss in some flour, and mix. Then fill, little by little, two irons at a time with as much of the paste as a slice of cheese is large. Then close the iron and cook both sides. If the dough does not detach easily from the iron, coat it first with a piece of cloth that has been soaked in oil or grease.
- 1911 – First electric waffle iron introduced by General Electric.
- 1953 – Frank Dorsa’s Eggo Frozen Waffles are sold in Supermarkets for the first time.
- 1964 – Belgian Waffles debut at New York’s World’s Fair.
- The birth of the waffle dates back to the middle ages, where they were cooked over a fire using two metal plates with wooden handles. The plates back then often had the grid pattern we know today, but some waffles had fancier designs, like a coat of arms.
- The word “waffle” first appears in the English language in 1725.
- The World’s Record for the largest waffle weighs 110 lb 3.68 oz and was created by Stichting Gouda Oogst (Netherlands) in Nieuwe Markt, Gouda, Netherlands, on 29 June 2013. The waffle had a diameter of 8 ft 1.24 in.
- Patrick Bertoletti holds ate 29 Waffles in ten minutes in 2007, beating fellow eating champion, Joey Chestnut in the World Waffle Eating Championships.
- Waffles inspired Nike’s first pair of sneakers. Appropriately enough, they were called the Waffle Trainer. Bill Bowerman was watching his wife use their waffle iron one morning in 1971 when he was suddenly struck by the honeycomb shape of the waffle. He realized it would be the perfect shape for the sole of an athletic sneaker. Then, Bowerman actually used a waffle iron to create the first Nike sneaker sole.
- The word “waffle” has Dutch origins. Although we have proof that waffles may have gotten their start in France or even ancient China, the word “waffle” is descended from the Dutch word for “wafer”. The first use of the actual word “waffle” in the English language was in 1725. We have been a nation of waffle lovers for almost 300 years, people.
- The Waffle House has sells 145 waffles a minute.
- Thomas Jefferson brought to first waffle iron to America.
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