Concept in Definition ABC

A waffle is a very crunchy type of cake, similar to the cookie and that has a division into grids or grids. The term waffle comes from the plates of metal which were originally used to make the cake mold (the word that refers to the plates was called wafer and is a term of Dutch origin).

Waffles are cakes originating in present-day Belgium, but they have spread around the world as one of the most international desserts. In many countries they are consumed for breakfast, for tea time or as a snack.

The traditional recipe

To prepare a waffle you must use the following ingredients: two egg whites beaten at snow point, a tablespoon of vanilla, two tablespoons of melted butter and a cup of milk to temperatureenvironment. All these products are mixed and whipped in a container. At the same time, in another recent one, two cups of flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, two tablespoons of sugar and half a tablespoon of salt are introduced and all of this is mixed again.

In a next step you have to proceed to mix the ingredients of both containers. Butter is then put into a specific utensil shaped like a grid and which acts as a press, the waffle iron. Finally, a cup of the previously made mixture is placed in the waffle iron and in this way a crisp ready-to-eat waffle is achieved.

Different variants of waffles

One of the attractions of this cake is its versatility. Thus, waffles can be combined with ice cream, with fruits, with chocolate and coffee, with ginger and cheese, among many other recipes. There are salty waffles, in a light version, wholemeal or filled with some sweet. Despite its variations, the most popular is the Brussels waffle, also known as Belgian Waffle (the Belgians take it hot and sprinkle it with cream or sugar).

Belgian pastries and the globalization of national desserts

The Belgians' fondness for cake shop causes there to be a certain rivalry in the elaboration of waffles between some cities (the inhabitants of Liège consider their waffles to be better than those of Brussels).

The tradition Belgian pastry chef is not limited to waffle, as we must not forget other tasty desserts typical of this countrysuch as bread pudding, rice cake, famous Belgian chocolate, mattentaart (a puff pastry cake) or speculoos (a very popular cookie in some regions).

Finally, it should be noted that the waffle as a dessert with projection international It serves to remind us of some of the national desserts that have achieved global expansion, such as the ice cream or Italian tiramisu, brownie from the United States, alfajores from Argentina or daikufu mochi from Japan.

Photos: iStock - HandmadePictures / Julia_Sudnitskaya