US Congress: French returns to menu

French toast (also known as Fried/Eggy Bread) is popular as a breakfast main course in North America, parts of Europe, and Hong Kong.

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History and geographical spread

The precise origins of the recipe are unknown, but similar dishes have existed in many countries and under many names. It is attested in Medieval Europe under the names:

* United Kingdom: suppe dorate
* France: tostes dorées, pain perdu
* Yugoslavia: prženice

Modern versions occur in many countries under other names:

* Brazil/Portugal: rabanada
* Bulgaria: пържени филии ("fried slices [of bread]")
* Canada: pain doré (in francophone regions, "golden bread")
* Denmark/Norway: arme riddere
* Greece: αβγόφετα(avgofeta, literally "egg-slice")
* United Kingdom: 'poor knights of Windsor', 'eggy bread', 'Gypsy Toast' and in parts of Cumbria, 'Pandora'.
* 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 coloured jam added in the center.
* France: ameritte or pain perdu (literally, "lost bread")
* Germany: armer Ritter
* Hungary: bundás kenyér (literally, "bread in coat")
* Netherlands: wentelteefjes (etymology unclear, "wentelen"=to turn over, "teefje"=bitch)
* Spain: torrija
* Sweden: fattiga riddare
* U.S.A.: German toast, Spanish toast, nun's toast
* India: Bombay toast

Some people claim that this dish was called "German toast" in the U.S.A. before World War I and was changed to "French toast" because of anti-German sentiment. A popular cookbook from 1918 does refer to it by that name. However, the term "French toast" can be found in print in the U.S.A. as early as 1871. The Oxford English Dictionary cites usages of "French toast" in English as early as 1660 (toasted bread with wine, orange juice, and sugar), and cites an egg-based recipe of the same name from 1882. It has also been called "American toast" in the U.S., where there is a story that it was invented in 1724 by a man named Joseph French in a roadside tavern near Albany, New York.

In early 2003, the name of French toast was changed again to "freedom toast" in the White House, the U.S. Congress, and in a few U.S. restaurants, this time due to anti-French sentiment stemming from France's refusal to support a war in Iraq. (A similar renaming occurred with French fries, which were called freedom fries in those places. In reaction, the French embassy merely commented that French fries are, in fact, from Belgium.)

i believe "french toast" is called "pain perdu" in french .
hbg

Or "ameritte." :wink:

I agree some "posh" don't use the term...