French Toast - History and Geographical Spread

History and Geographical Spread

Where a stale, crunchy bread might seem unappetizing, using the bread in cooking solves the problem without waste. One way is to soak the bread in milk and fry it. The origins of the recipe are unknown, although a version appears in the fourth century Roman cookbook often attributed to Apicius ("Aliter dulcia siligineos rasos frangis et buccellas maiores facies in lacte infundis frigis in oleo mel superfundis et inferes" - "Another sweet: Break grated Sigilines (a kind of wheat bread), and make larger bites. Soak in milk, fry in oil, douse in honey and serve."). This was also known as pan dulcis. Similar dishes have existed in many countries and under many names, known in Medieval Europe as:

• Albania: buke me veze (literally "bread with egg")
• Austria: Pofesen (a medieval type of shield whose shape resembles a slice of bread)
• Spain: torrijas (first citation in 15th century, by Juan del Encina. They could be quite similar to aliter dulcia, although there are many other variants)
• Croatia: pohani kruh
• England: suppe dorate (Italian for "gilded sippets")
• France: pain perdu (lost bread)
• Germany: Armer Ritter (poor knight; the name is sometimes meant to originate from poor knights in Medieval times, having not enough gold to pay for meat, and thus eating old bread slices, coated with egg and fried)
• Hungary: bundás kenyér (fluffy bread or bread with fur)
• Korea: 프렌치 토스트
• Lebanon: pain perdu
• Portugal: rabanadas or fatias douradas (golden slices of bread)
• Yugoslavia and some successor republics: прженице - prženice

Modern versions occur in countries under other names:

• Belgium: verloren brood, wentelteefjes, gewonnen brood, or gebakken boterhammen (lost bread, won bread, or baked sandwiches, as it was traditionally made from stale bread) in Flanders, pain perdu in Wallonia
• Bangladesh: enda/dim di bread (literally "egg with bread")
• Brazil: rabanada or "fatia parida"(in the northeast region of Brazil)
• Bulgaria: пържени филии - părzheni filii (fried slices )
• Bosnia: prženice
• Czech Republic: chleba v kožíšku (bread in the little coat)
• Denmark and Norway: Arme riddere (poor knights)
• England: eggy Bread and Gypsy toast
• Estonia: vaesed rüütlid (poor knights)
• Finland köyhät ritarit (poor knights) when eaten plain or with butter, rikkaat ritarit (rich knights) when rolled in powdered sugar, sprinkled with it until fully covered or alternatively covered with whipped cream to provide the white base, and an eye of red-colored jam added in the center.
• Greece: αβγόφετα (avgófeta, egg-slice)
• Guatemala: tostadas a la francesa
• Hong Kong: 西多士 (western toast)
• Iceland: Franskt eggjabrauð (French egg-bread)
• Israel: לחם מטוגן (fried bread)
• India: "Andewala Toast Fried" (Fried Egg Toast)
• Indonesia: roti telur (egg bread)
• Mexico: pan francés, torreja (northern Mexico)
• Morocco: خبز بالبيض (khobz belbid, bread with eggs), and another variant without eggs and with orange blossom water and sugar: خبز بالزهر (khobz bezz’har, bread with orange blossom water)
• Netherlands: wentelteefjes (etymology unclear, wentelen = "to turn over", teefje = "pastry" (gebakje), or "wentel 't eefjes" = "turn it for a short time"). Used in some parts of Flanders, Belgium
• as well.
• Norway: arme riddere (poor knights)
• Pakistan: meetha thoasth (sweet toast)
• Philippines: cheesy French toast, often eaten with maple or chocolate syrup
• Portugal: rabanadas, fatias douradas or fatias de parida (sliced bread coated in an egg wash, fried in oil and coated with sugar and cinnamon, usually eaten over Christmas holiday)
• Poland: grzanki francuskie (French toasts)
• Québec: pain doré (golden bread)
• Romania: frigănele, sometimes pâine cu ou (bread with egg)
• Russia: гренки - grěnki
• Serbia: prženice (fried bread), pofezne
• Scotland: French Toast
• Slovenia: Šnite (Slices)
• South India and Sri Lanka: Bombay toast
• Spain: torrija
• Slovakia: chlieb vo vajíčku (bread in the egg)
• Sweden: fattiga riddare (poor knights)
• Switzerland: Fotzelschnitten (rascals' slices)
• Turkey: ekmek kızartması (fried bread), or ekmek balığı (breadfish / fish of bread), or yumurtalı ekmek (bread with egg)
• Ukraine: грінки - hrynky
• United Kingdom: Eggy bread, poor knights of Windsor, Gypsy toast and in parts of Cumbria, pandora.
• US: Overwhelmingly French toast, though it may on rare occasion be called German toast, Spanish toast, nun's toast, freedom toast, French fried pudding, or egg toast.