National Waffle Week is celebrated on the first full week of September and the treats prove that design can make mealtime that much sweeter. The word waffle actually comes from the Dutch “wafel,” and that comes from Middle Dutch “wafele” which stretches as far back as the thirteenth century. Before that, the French called it “walfre” in 1185 from the Frankish wafla which meant ‘honeycomb” or ‘cake’. No matter what you call it, no one can deny its deliciousness.
History of National Waffle Week
The flat cakes that the ancient Greeks made were called flat cakes made from a mixture of flour, water or milk or eggs. Originally called obelios, they became known as wafers that had a more simple form. It wasn’t until the thirteenth century that they would be stamped with the waffle-pattern we know today, and some houses even stamped them with their family crest.
Wafers quickly became a prominent part of society’s eating habits. Whether you lived in a small town or inside of a castle, waffles were loved by all. The Dutch passed along their love of them to the New World in the early seventeenth century and then maple syrup was added for a winning combination when the New World put their stamp on it. Wafer then became known as waffle in 1735.
At the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904, waffle cones for ice cream made their debut, proving that they could also be versatile. Eggo frozen waffles were introduced in 1953. At the time, they put “frozen” and waffles” together and called them Froffles until 1955 when they just called them Eggo. Electric waffle irons became the standard for homes in the 1930s and by 1964, the thicker Belgian Waffle took off in America.
As the decades rolled on, the popularity of waffles stayed steady, branching off into restaurants based off of them and experimentation with flavors and syrup combinations. In 2001, Waffle House founded National Waffle Week and many eateries have joined in to offer waffle-lovers special deals.