On the 24th of August in America, sweet lovers celebrate National Waffle Day (National Waffle Day). However, there are as many as two holidays in honor of this dessert: in addition to the American there is also International Waffle Daybeing noted.
What’s the difference? These waffles are not crunchy plates, to which the inhabitants of European countries are accustomed, but small “pancakes”, which are prepared in a special double frying pan (waffle iron) and which have a pronounced “pattern” in the form of honeycombs. They are baked from a special dough made with slaked soda, while recipes in other countries use yeast dough.
American waffles differ from their foreign “sisters” and outwardly: they are thin, square in shape. The date of the holiday is connected with the shape of the waffles (or rather, with the square device for making them). 1869 Cornelius Swarthout, a resident of Troy, New York, received the country’s first patent for a special frying pan for baking waffles. It consisted of two parts (bottom and cover). The pan had to be turned over so that the waffles baked evenly.
Waffle makers have been used before – in the middle of the 19th century, Thomas Jefferson brought a special frying pan from Europe. However, with the advent of the American waffle iron, the popularity of the product has grown, and over time, waffles have become a traditional dish. There is even a restaurant chain in America called the Waffle House; the first one opened in 1955.
The invention of electricity made it possible to create improved waffle makers. The first electric waffle maker appeared in 1911.
But the waffle cone for ice cream was invented even earlier – in 1904. At a fair in St. Louis, the ice cream vendor ran out of paper cups, and the resourceful guy asked a waffle vendor who was standing next to him for help. The waffle maker would bake thin waffles and roll them into a cone, where the ice cream maker would place the ice cream.
One theory is that in 1971, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman (1911-1999) used his wife’s waffle iron to experiment with rubber soles for running shoes. As a result, the waffle iron was hopelessly damaged and Nike patented an extremely lightweight and comfortable running shoe. The success story of the company and the sneakers of the same name began with this event.
So Americans, congratulating each other on the holiday with morning waffles, have many reasons to celebrate this day.