Ever heard of obelios? They were savory flat cakes that Ancient Greek bakers cooked between two hot plates, and they are the oldest known ancestors of the modern waffle. Jumping to the colonial period, Thomas Jefferson was not only one of our country’s founding fathers, but a pioneer in waffle history: in 1789, he brought a waffle iron from France to America, reviving the Dutch settlers’ tradition of the “waffle frolic,” a social gathering centered on the gridded food. Jump ahead some 250 years and you come to another great waffle milestone: right now. Yes, we are in the midst of what you might call a waffle renaissance, wherein people are looking beyond the classic breakfast-made-of-batter to discover what else can be waffle-ized. The possibilities are endless: Waffled mac and cheese. Waffled cookies. Fawaffles. At the forefront of the movement is Daniel Shumski, the author of Workman’s new book Will It Waffle?, who this week turned the studio of Good Morning America into a regular waffle frolic. Check out the video here:
For more waffle history, not to mention recipes for everything from waffleburgers to waffled grilled cheese, seek out a copy of Will It Waffle?.
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