Waffles are one of the oldest delicacies in the world. Their history dates back to Ancient Greece and a type of bread called obleios, or wafers, which were stuffed with figs and olives before being baked between two hot plates.
Later, the pastry made its way to the Roman Empire and was known as panis obelius, while a sweeter evolution is the crustula (plural of crustulum), according to Ancient Roman food scholar Giorgio Franchetti.
“They were very simple biscuits”
Franchetti, the author of Dining With the Ancient Romans told CNN that crustula were flat biscuits made with the same basic ingredients as waffles and baked between two heated irons. “They were very simple biscuits made with flour, honey, and lard,” said Franchetti.
“Today, waffles are made with butter, but the Romans—although cheese lovers—didn’t like butter, which was considered a poor byproduct of milk and used mostly for cosmetics. Instead, lard was used in crustula,” he continued.
It is believed that crustula was originally consumed during Roman religious ceremonies and sold by itinerant vendors called “crustulari” who could be found in the alleys of Ancient Rome, usually near temples and places of worship.
Later, according to Franchetti, they became a kind of reward that teachers who worked for wealthy families gave to their best students. Over time, these simple, tasty biscuits became a very important part of the banquet ceremony, the dessert, and were served at the end of a meal. After the advent of Christianity, Franchetti notes, crustula were assimilated into Christian recipes.
From Ancient Greece to world-famous waffles
Franchetti believes that the crustula cooking technique was probably perfected in the Middle Ages, when the first grooves appeared in the biscuits, bringing them closer to today’s waffles.
The ferratelle is considered the link between the Roman crustula and the waffle. “In Molise and Abruzzo, the locals grew up with ferratelle, which are eaten all year round and come in different shapes and sizes,” Franchetti says. The name comes from the metal press or iron, “ferri” in Italian, which was traditionally used to make the biscuits.
What is a ferratelle?
Ferratelle, also known as pizzelle, have the tiny square grooves found in waffles, and “the basic recipe and ingredients are probably the same as those previously used for crustula,” Franchetti said.
In the past, ferratelle were always homemade and especially popular around Christmas and Carnival. Households used special irons, engraved with the family coat of arms or initials, to mark their ferratelle. In the 16th century, parents gave ferratelle irons with the family initials to their daughters who were to marry as part of their dowry.
The Abruzzo ferratelle, which are still made in irons, are made with eggs, olive oil, milk, vanilla, and grated lemon rind. In Liguria, you can find wafer-like biscuits, while in Piedmont, they are known as gofri and have a honeycomb pattern reminiscent of the Belgian gaufres.
How “waffles” spread from Ancient Greece to Europe and the US
“The Romans spread their food, along with their culture, throughout their empire. Crustula reached as far as modern-day France, the Benelux countries and England,” Franchetti said. By the time the Roman Empire collapsed, crustula had been assimilated into the local gastronomy of these countries.
Another evolution probably took place along the European trade routes during the Middle Ages, when the Italian ferratelle was exported to Northern Europe. Finally, the leap to the New World occurred in the early 15th century, when the first Dutch colonists landed in New York.
“That’s when crustula ferratelle evolved into waffles and took root in America,” Franchetti says. The United States has devoted an entire day to waffles—whose history can be traced back to Ancient Greece—celebrating National Waffle Day on August 24th. This is also the anniversary of the day Dutch American Cornelius Swarthout received a patent for the first waffle iron in the United States.
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