French toast
A dish of egg-soaked bread, pan-fried and served sweet or savory.
French toast is a dish of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs and often milk or cream, then pan-fried. It appears under various names in many places, including eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, and poor knights (of Windsor). The dish can be served sweet, with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, or savory, with salt or pepper and sauces such as ketchup or mayonnaise.
- Alternative names
- Eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, poor knights (of Windsor), pain perdu, pain doré, Pofesen, bundáskenyér
- Earliest known recipe
- 1st-century CE Ancient Roman cookbook Apicius (disputed)
- Common sweet toppings
- Sugar, butter, fruit, syrup, caramel, ice cream, jam, honey, maple syrup
- Common savory accompaniments
- Salt, pepper, ketchup, mayonnaise, bacon, cheese, sausage
- Typical bread used
- Day-old bread
Lore & Background
The Apicius, a 1st-century CE Ancient Roman cookbook, includes a recipe under Aliter Dulcia that some authors consider 'not very different' from modern French toast, though others say 'this isn't real French toast because it has no egg in it.' The Latin text does not include eggs, but some translations include egg as an editorial interpolation. A different recipe in the same book includes eggs but not bread, yielding a custard. In Le Viandier, written around 1300, French chef Guillaume Taillevent presented a recipe for tostées dorées involving eggs and sugar. A 14th-century German recipe uses the name Arme Ritter 'poor knights', a name also used in English and Nordic languages. In the 15th century, English recipes for pain perdu appear, and culinary expert Martino da Como also offers a recipe. In Spain, one of the first recipes was published in 1611 by Francisco Martínez Motiño. Hannah Woolley included a recipe in her 1670s cookbook The Queen-Like Closet, but did not call it 'French.'
Reader's Guide
French toast has a long and geographically widespread history, with variations appearing across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The dish's significance lies in its thrift: it uses stale or 'lost' bread, reflected in the French name pain perdu. Its adaptability allows for both sweet and savory preparations, making it a staple in many cuisines. In France, pain perdu has a wide range of regional variations. In Germany, Arme Ritter or Pofesen were known since at least the 14th century. In the UK and Ireland, it is also known as eggy bread or gypsy toast. In Hong Kong, it is served with peanut butter or jam, fried, and topped with condensed milk. In India, Bombay toast is an unsweetened street food with savory ingredients. In Spain, torrijas are traditionally prepared for Lent and Holy Week. In the United States, it is commonly eaten with butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup, and was popularly served in railroad dining cars of the early and mid-20th century. The dish's legacy is one of culinary resourcefulness and cross-cultural adaptation.
Did You Know?
- The usual French name is pain perdu, meaning 'lost bread,' reflecting its use of stale or otherwise 'lost' bread.
- An Austrian and Bavarian term is Pofesen, because the shape of the dish is reminiscent of medieval knights' shields from the city of Pavia.
- In Hungary, it is commonly called bundáskenyér, which literally means 'furry bread.'
- A 14th-century German recipe uses the name Arme Ritter 'poor knights,' a name also used in English and the Nordic languages.
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