Waffle

For the verb "to waffle", please see this page

A waffle is a cooked food made from a batter that consists of flour, water, baking powder, oil, and eggs.  It has a gridlike appearance because it is cooked in between two hot metal plates in an electric kitchen appliance called a waffle iron. 

Waffles are cooked until they become golden-brown in color, with a crispy outer texture and a soft interior. They are usually served as a breakfast or as a dessert, and they are usually served with maple syrup, sweet sauces, or toppings.

Waffles were first introduced to North America in 1620 by Pilgrims who brought the method from Holland.

Serving

Varieties of waffles

 American waffles 
American waffles are often made from a batter leavened with baking powder. They may be round, square, or rectangular in shape. They are usually served as a sweet breakfast food, topped with butter and maple syrup, bacon, and other fruit syrups, honey, or powdered sugar. Breakfast sausages, eggs, orange juice, and hot coffee are often served alongside waffles.

American waffles are also found in many savory dishes, such as fried chicken and waffles or topped with kidney stew.  

 Belgian waffles 
Belgian waffles, or Brussels waffles, are made with a yeast-leavened batter. It is generally (but not always) lighter, thicker, crispier, and has larger pockets than other waffle varieties. They are easy to tell the difference from Liège Waffles by their rectangular sides. 

In Belgium, most waffles are served warm by street vendors and dusted with confectioner's sugar. In tourist areas they might be topped with whipped cream, soft fruit or chocolate spread. 

Despite their name, 'Brussels waffles' were actually invented in Ghent in 1839.Lonely Planet Encounter Guide Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp & Ghent 1st edition, 2008, page 151 They were introduced to America by restaurateur Maurice Vermersch.  He sold Brussels waffles under the name "Bel-Gem Waffles" at the New York's 1964 World's Fair.

 Liège waffles 
The Liège waffle (from the city of Liège, in eastern Belgium) is a richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier waffle. It was invented by the chef of the prince-bishop of Liège in the 18th century,  It has chunks of pearl sugar, which caramelize on the outside of the waffle when baked.  

This is the most common type of waffle in Belgium.  It is made in plain, vanilla and cinnamon varieties by street vendors across the nation.

 Bergische waffles 
Bergische waffles, or Waffles from Berg county, are a specialty of the German region of Bergisches Land. The waffles are crisp and less dense than Belgian waffles.  They are always heart-shaped.  They are served with cherries, cream and sometimes rice pudding as part of the traditional afternoon feast on Sundays in the region.

 Hong Kong grid cake 
In Hong Kong, waffles are called "grid cake" or "grid biscuits" (格仔餅). These are similar to a traditional waffle but larger, round in shape and divided into four quarters. They are generally soft and not dense. Usually waffles are served as a warm snack. Street hawkers usually make and sell the waffles.  

Eggs, sugar and evaporated milk are used in the waffle recipes, giving them a sweet flavor. Butter, peanut butter and sugar are spread on one side of the cooked waffle. Then it is folded into a semicircle to eat.   

Traditional Hong Kong style waffles are full of the flavor of egg yolk. Sometimes different flavors, like chocolate and honey melon, are used in the recipe and create various colors. 

Another style of Hong Kong waffle is the eggette or gai daan jai (鷄蛋仔), which have a ball-shaped pattern.

 Pandan waffles (Vietnam) 
Pandan waffles come from Vietnam.  They use pandan flavoring and coconut milk in the batter. The pandan flavoring gives the batter a spring green color. When cooked, the waffle browns and crisps on the outside and stays green and chewy on the inside.  Unlike most waffles, pandan waffles are usually eaten plain.

 Scandinavian style 
Scandinavian style waffles, common throughout the Nordic countries, are thin and made in a heart-shaped waffle iron. The batter is similar to other varieties. The most common style are sweet, with whipped or sour cream, berries, and strawberry or raspberry jam. They can also be served with just sugar on top.

 Stroopwafel 
Stroopwafel are thin waffles with a syrup filling. They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands during the 18th or 19th century. 

The stiff batter for the waffles is made from flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Medium-sized balls of batter are put on the waffle iron. When the waffle is baked and while it is still warm, it is cut into two halves. The warm filling, made from syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, is spread in between the waffle halves, which glues them together.Stroopwafels. Traditional delicacys. Retrieved on 2008-01-02 They are popular in Belgium and the Netherlands and sold in pre-prepared packages from local supermarkets.

 Dessert 
In Canada, France, and the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec, waffles are often served as a dessert, after dinner is finished. Freshly-baked waffles are topped with sweet toppings such as chocolate syrup, bananas, strawberries, or whipped cream.

Other meanings
Waffle is also a slang term meaning "to keep changing one's mind.". For example, if a reporter is asking a politician a question, and the politician does not give a clear answer, the reporter might say that the politician was "waffling." It can also mean to keep repeating the same information in a different way or make no useful points.

References

Category:Breakfast foods
Category:Desserts
Category:Baked foods
Category:Sweet breads
Category:American food
Category:British food
Category:Canadian food
Category:Belgian food