The first United States patent for a waffle iron was issued to Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York on August 24, 1869.
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.
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So now you know, the waffle you usually get when you order one in a restaurant is a Belgian Waffle. In North America, they are a variety of waffle with a lighter batter, larger squares, and deeper pockets than ordinary American waffles. They were originally leavened with yeast, but baking powder is now often used.
I don’t ever remember eating a waffle at home while I was growing up. I rarely ate breakfast food for breakfast. I ate left overs from the night before, like cold spaghetti or pizza. Sometimes it was fresh venison fried in butter then put on a piece of toast.
I spent many years working in the restaurant business. One of my favorite treats was to get a waffle, slather it with butter, then fill all the squares with maple syrup and leave it under the heat lamps for at least fifteen minutes. Of course it lost all its crispness, but that was the idea. The buttery maple flavor was heavenly as I purposely chewed it in a deliciously slow manner. I still like the occasional Belgian Waffle when I eat out, but now I order it with bananas, nuts and cinnamon sauce. My tastes have matured some.
My grandson in a waffle lover. His favorite is Eggos, heated in the toaster, any time of day or night. He’s a skinny kid, he could eat waffles all day for a month with no adverse effects; unlike me. I offer him an egg , bacon, or sausage to go along so he has some protein, but he usually declines.
And now we have waffle cones to eat our ice cream out of. I like them much better than the round ones with the flat bottom that cut the roof of my mouth. Shoot, now I want one! Either will do, a gooey Belgian waffle or chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream on a waffle cone.
Sue Spitulnik 