Roper
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Although what we call French toast here in America, was and is today made in France, its origin is much older than that and a version exists in just about every country in the world. The countries that include France in the name are limited to the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, Scotland, Poland, and the Philippines. Every other country calls it something else. In England it is eggy bread or Gypsy toast. Even in the United States, French toast can be colloquially named as German toast, Spanish toast, egg toast, or nun’s toast.
It is accepted that the earliest mention of French toast is from a Roman cookbook from the 4th century called Apicius. This version of French toast was made from broken pieces of a type of wheat bread soaked in milk and fried in oil. It was topped with honey before serving. Modern French toast is made with sliced bread soaked in egg and pan-fried. After the slices are cooked, they are usually topped with something sweet and syrupy, like maple syrup, honey, jam, or molasses.
Historians believe that French toast originated independently in many different countries around the same time as a logical use of stale bread. By making the stale bread an ingredient in a recipe, its life could be extended and not go waste. Soaking the bread in egg, milk, or a combination of the two softens it again and frying makes it more palatable as a meal. The earliest use of the term, French toast, in the U.S. is from 1871. The Oxford English Dictionary, however, cites the term as being used since 1660, except that it was used for toast made with wine, orange juice, and sugar. The Oxford Dictionary states that the term, as used for the egg-based bread, originated in 1882. Some U.S. historians claim that it was known as German toast in the U.S. up until World War II, when anti-German sentiment forced the name change.
 Posted 5177 day ago
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