As the debate between which between waffles and pancakes are the better breakfast food, we've halted arguing for the sake of National Waffle Day on March 25. This fun holiday is often celebrated in Sweden and somehow also in the United States by those who just love this breakfast food. But why is it being celebrated and what's really so special about waffles? Here are some amazing facts that you might not have known about the global phenomenon that is waffles.
1. Waffles were made popular in America in the early 1960's
Despite being around since the 14th century, the modern-day Belgian waffle was actually made popular in the United States by one Belgian native named Maurice Vermersch and his family, the Huffington Post reported. They first called it Brussels waffle after the city where it came from, but later called it Belgian waffles to further increase people's awareness of their home country. When the Vermeersch family served it at the 1964-65 World’s Fair hosted in Queens, New York, they topped it off with freshly whipped cream and newly sliced strawberries, just as we know it today.
2. Thomas Jefferson was responsible for bringing the first waffle iron to the US
While waffles were already being made in America at the time, it was in 1789 that U.S. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson came back from France with some fancy waffle irons. But it wouldn't be for more than 100 years before General Electric would introduce the first electric waffle iron in 1911, National Day Calendar reported.
3. Waffle Day happens twice a year
In Sweden and elsewhere, National Waffle Day is celebrated on March 25 because in Swedish, "Our Lady's Day" sounds a lot like "Våffeldagen" or Waffle Day. In the U.S., however, National Waffle Day is celebrated on August 24 because back in 1869, Cornelius Swarthout was given the first patent for the waffle iron, Foodbeast reported.
4. Ice cream cones were also made out of waffles
According to Hypebeast, what is known today as waffle cones came about when one Missouri ice cream vendor ran out of ice cream cups in the middle of the St. Louis World Fair. Stumped, he asked for help from a waffle vendor and created the first waffle cone by folding the waffle into a cone.
5. Eggo Waffles was not its original name
Did you know that those Eggo Waffles that Millie Bobby Brown had to wolf down while playing Eleven in Netflix's "Stranger Things" weren't really called Eggo Waffles at first? The Eggo brand which, by the way, was originally a maker of mayonnaise, first called their frozen waffles "Froffles" because they literally just combined those two words, frozen waffles.
However, customers called them Eggos due to their egg flavor. Because no one really called them froffles and because it was more known by its brand name, the owners decided to just call them Eggo Waffles.