English muffin

AnEnglish muffinis a small, round and flatyeast-leavened (sometimessourdough) bread which is commonly 4 in (10 cm) round and 1.5 in (4 cm) tall. It is generally split horizontally and servedtoasted.In North America, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it is frequently eaten with sweet or savoury toppings such as butter, fruit jam, honey, eggs, sausage, bacon, or cheese. English muffins are an essential ingredient ineggs Benedictand a variety ofbreakfast sandwichesderived from it, such as theMcMuffin.
These products are calledEnglish muffinsto distinguish them from the sweeter cupcake-shaped products also known asmuffins, although in the UK, English muffins are sometimes referred to simply asmuffins.English muffins are available in a wide range of varieties, includingwhole wheat,multigrain, cinnamon raisin,cranberry, and apple cinnamon.
The wordmuffinis thought to come from theLow Germanmuffen, meaning "little cakes".TheOxford English Dictionaryalso suggests a possible link toOld Frenchmoflet, a type of bread. Originally it meant "any of various kinds of bread or cake".
The first recorded use of the wordmuffinwas in 1703,and recipes for muffins appear in British cookbooks as early as 1747 inHannah Glasse'sThe Art of Cookery. The muffins are described by Glasse as being "like a Honey-comb" inside.
In theOxford Companion to Food,Alan Davidsonstates that "[t]here has always been some confusion between muffins,crumpets, and pikelets, both in recipes and in name".The increasing popularity of flatbread muffins in the 19th century is attested by the existence of muffin men, a type ofhawkerwho would travel door to door selling English muffins as a snack bread before most homes had their own ovens.
The bell-ringing of muffin men became so common that by 1839, the British Parliament passed a billto prohibit bell ringing by muffin men, but it was not adhered to by sellers.In 1861, "goodsized" muffins from street-sellers were commonly sold for ahalfpennyeach; crumpets were about a penny.
Comparing the bell-ringing of muffin men to the melodic chimes from an approachingice cream vanthat generates excitement in children today, Michael Paterson inA Brief History of Life in Victorian Britainwrites, “the ringing of a handbell was one of the most joyous sounds in a Victorian childhood”.The tradition of the muffin man continued until the Second World War.
The traditional English nursery rhyme "The Muffin Man", which dates from 1820 at the latest, traces to that custom.
A well-known reference to English muffins is inOscar Wilde's 1895 playThe Importance of Being Earnest.
English muffins are usually referred to simply asmuffinsin the UK; sweet American-style cupcake-shapedmuffinsare occasionally referred to asAmerican muffinsto differentiate.They are usually consumed with tea or coffee, and sometimes feature inafternoon teaserved in UK hotels.They are also consumed forbreakfastin the form of American-style breakfast sandwiches.
"Mush muffins (calledslipperdownsin New England) were a Colonial [American] muffin made withhominyon a hanging griddle."These and other types of flatbread muffins were known to American settlers, but they declined in popularity with the advent of the quickbread muffin.
References to English muffins appear in U.S. newspapers starting in 1859,and detailed descriptions of them and recipes were published as early as 1870.
A popular brand of English muffin in the U.S. isThomas', which was founded in Manhattan, New York, by English immigrant Samuel Bath Thomas in 1880.Thomas opened a second bakery around the corner from the first at 337 West 20th Street in a building that remains known as "The Muffin House".Today the company is owned byBimbo Bakeries USA, which also owns theEntenmann's, Boboli, Stroehmann, Oroweat, and Arnold brands.
Foster'ssourdough English muffins was a popular brand of English muffin originally fromSan Francisco. They were a signature menu item at Foster's restaurants from the 1940s to the 1970s, and continued to be produced as a packaged brand until 2008.
English muffins are very similar to the Portuguesebolo do caco.