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Historical origins

Belgian Waffles

The origin of “waffle” is melted in the history of the man.
Indeed, its ancestor would be the cereal pancake cooked on hot stone at the time of
the Neolithic era.
The mould made up of two iron plates used for the manufacturing of small cakes would
have come out in Ancient Greece, and it “waffle” would be also downward “Forget”
which were religious pastry makings being used as offerings for the Saints then
consumed by the faithful ones.
But, it is at the 13th century that a blacksmith imagined the mould inspired of the
honeycombs manufactured by the bees and that the waffle name appears. The word
“waffle” would come from “walfre” which means “honeycomb” as old French (12th
century).

But, these waffles were still far from those which we taste. Indeed, they remained for a
long time are salted, composed of poor flour and of water, they were sold in the street
or in front of the churches holidays. However very appraisals, they replaced sometimes
the bread.

It is only at the 18th century, for the easiest people, that the receipt of waffles was
supplemented with honey, eggs or milk. As from this moment, the receipts were geared
down and the many varieties of waffles which we know today started to come out.

According to the legend, the origin of waffle to pearl sugar (without honey) known
internationally under the name of “waffle of Liege” would go back to the 18th century.
The Prince-Bishop of Liege would have asked his cook to compose something to him
the tasty one and of sweet. However, of the culinary historical researches showed that
the receipt of the “waffle inhabitant of Liège to the cinnamon” manufactured by the
“Brotherhood of the Waffle Inhabitant of Liège ''the strème' '” would be former to the
receipt of “waffle of Liege”, because pearl sugar made its appearance only towards the
end of 18th or at the beginning of the 19th century. The receipt of the waffle inhabitant
of Liège of which the quantity of the ingredients remains secret is made up of flour,
tepid milk, lard and fat, crystallized sugar, eggs, yeast, cinnamon, salt and a little sugar
taste vanilla.

The name “Belgian Waffles” is the invention of Maurice Vermersch and his wife, a
couple of Brussels, who had slightly modified the receipt of “waffle of Brussels”, first
mention in 1842, while adding to it of yeasts. The yeasts were not part of the receipt of
Brussels original, written for the first time in 1874 by the gastronomical critic Philippe
Cauderlier. At the time, to obtain a quite light waffle, it was necessary to beat the egg
whites in snow, and especially to have a great quantity of batter, which made it rather
expensive.
Combined with the beaten egg whites, the yeast added by Vermersch makes it possible
to obtain a waffle much thicker and light with deeper cells. The yeast also modified the

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