Waffle Timeline

In The Beginning

• Neolithic Age (ca. 6000 B.C.E. to ca. 2000 B.C.E.). As with bread, the ancestor of the waffle emerges in the Neolithic age as a rustic hotcake made of cereal pulps, cooked on heated stones. The cake is “flipped,” so that both sides can be cooked by the heat. There is no syrup, no whipped cream and no chocolate sauce yet—and likely, no salt and pepper.
• Iron Age (ca. 1200 to ca. 550 B.C.E.). The Iron Age brings iron tools, including the iron plate or griddle. Man can now make the equivalent of griddle cakes or pancakes. At some point, some cook uses two heated iron plates, one on each side of the pancake, to speed cooking.
• Ancient Greece (1100 B.C.E. to 146 B.C.E.). Ancient Greeks cook these flat cakes, called obleios or wafers, between two hot metal plates. They are primarily savory in nature, flavored with cheeses and herbs.

As Mankind Progresses

• Middle Ages (400 C.E. to 1000 C.E.). This method of cooking continues to be used in the Middle Ages by the obloyeurs. These specialists make different types of oublies, as the word has evolved from the Greek. They are served flat or rolled into filled coronets (cones).
• The irons are used to produce a variety of different flat, unleavened cakes (usually from a mixture of barley and oats, not the white flour used today). In many cities, Waffles are sold off carts by street vendors. Judging from extant illustrations, customers get their money’s worth, as the Waffles seem about the size of a small pizza.
• 13th Century. The oublie becomes the waffle in the 1200s, when a craftsman has the idea of forging some cooking plates or “irons” that reproduce the characteristic pattern of honeycombs. The word gaufre, from the Old French for waffle (wafla), first appears in print at this time. Wafla means “a piece of honeybee hive.” Other early Waffle irons designs include landscapes, coats of arms and religious symbols. The batter is placed between hinged plates that are then pressed together with wooden handles, held over the hearth fire to bake and flipped manually.
• The Waffles are sold by street vendors. For religious celebrations or saints’ days, the vendors are allowed to sell their Waffles at church door exits. Over the years, there are more and more vendors fighting over space and customers, until France’s King Charles IX (1560-1574) has to quell the disturbances by regulating the business: Vendors have to stay about six feet from each
• 16th Century. Waffles serve all echelons of society. They are made of water and bad flour and eaten by the poor during bread shortages. While Waffles for the common people are thick, Waffles for the privileged class add eggs, milk and honey to create delicate and tasty
• 1620. Dutch “wafles” come to America with the Pilgrims, who spend time in Holland prior to sailing to
• 1735. The word “waffle,” with two “fs,” appears in print in English for the first
• 1789. At the start of the French Revolution, Thomas Jefferson returns to the U.S. from his position as Minister to France. Along with a pasta machine, he brings a long-handled Waffle iron that encloses the batter and gives the waffle crispness and shape. This begins the trend of “waffle frolics” or waffle parties, where guests can enjoy their Waffles sweet (with maple syrup or molasses) or savory (topped with kidney stew). Slaves get the leftovers as a special treat. This evolves into the southern favorite, chicken and
• 1800s. Vendors on city streets sell hot Waffles slathered with molasses or maple
• 1869. Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York, a Dutch-American, receives a patent for the first Waffle iron in the U.S., on August 24th. Described as a “device to bake Waffles,” one heats up the Waffle iron over a coal stove, pour batter on the griddle, close the cover and after a few minutes, flip the griddle and cook the other side of the waffle. It becomes very popular.

Modern Times

• 1911. General Electric introduces the first electric Waffle iron designed by Thomas J. Stackbeck, which has a built-in thermostat to keep the Waffles from burning due to overheating. Today’s Waffle irons have essentially the same mechanics, with technology upgrades that offer non-stick surfaces, lighter-weight materials, fancy designs (flowers, Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty) and plates that are removable for washing or to change designs.
• 1930s. Waffle irons become standard kitchen appliances.
• 1953. Brothers Tony, Sam and Frank Dorsa introduce Eggo frozen toaster Waffles to supermarkets throughout the United States. Originally called “Froffles,” people started referring to them as “Eggos” because of their “eggy” taste. Going with the flow, the brothers change the name of the product in 1955. The brand is purchased by Kellogg in the 1970s.
• 1964. “Belgian Waffles” debut at the New York World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens. Maurice Vermersch sells his wife’s recipe for Brussels Waffles—fluffy yeast Waffles with with strawberries and whipped cream. Realizing when the Fair opens that most Americans don’t know where Brussels is, he changes the name to Belgian Waffles.
• 21st Century. The “nouvelle waffle”: cross-referencing and fusion cuisine. Sure, maple syrup still tastes great, but there’s a whole wide world of influence now. See the next section for ideas. And revive the “waffle frolic.” (We don’t know that Thomas Jefferson started the the “frolics,” but if he hadn’t brought the Waffle iron back from Paris and served them to his influential friends, Waffles wouldn’t have become fashionable at that time.)
• International Waffle Day is celebrated on March 25th.