Waffle facts for kids
A waffle is a tasty cooked food. It's made from a mix called a batter, which usually has flour, water, baking powder, oil, and eggs. Waffles get their special grid look because they are cooked between two hot metal plates in a machine called a waffle iron. They are cooked until they turn golden-brown and become crispy on the outside, but still soft inside. People often eat waffles for breakfast or as a dessert, usually with sweet sauces or toppings.
The word "waffle" can also mean to talk a lot without getting to the point, like when someone "waffles on and on."
Contents
Enjoying Waffles: Breakfast or Dessert?
Waffles for Breakfast
In places like North America, waffles are a popular breakfast choice, especially on weekends or holidays. People often top their freshly-made waffles with maple syrup. They might also eat them with breakfast sausages, eggs, orange juice, or hot coffee.
Waffles as a Sweet Treat
In Belgium, France, and the Canadian province of Quebec, waffles are often served as a dessert after dinner. These waffles are usually topped with sweet things like chocolate syrup, bananas, strawberries, or whipped cream.
Different Kinds of Waffles Around the World
There are many different types of waffles, each with its own special taste and shape!
- American Waffles are often made with a batter that uses baking powder to make them light and fluffy. They can be round, square, or rectangular. Americans usually eat them for breakfast with butter and maple syrup, or other fruit syrups, honey, or powdered sugar. Sometimes, they are even served in savory dishes, like fried chicken with waffles. Waffles first came to North America in 1620 with the Pilgrims from Holland.
- Belgian Waffles (also called Brussels Waffles) are made with a special batter that uses yeast, which makes them lighter, thicker, and crispier. They have bigger pockets than other waffles. You can tell them apart from Liège Waffles because they have straight, rectangular sides. In Belgium, street vendors often sell them warm, dusted with powdered sugar. In tourist spots, they might have whipped cream, fruit, or chocolate spread. Even though they are called "Brussels waffles," they were actually invented in Ghent in 1839. They became famous in America at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
- The Liège Waffle comes from the city of Liège in eastern Belgium. This waffle is richer, denser, sweeter, and chewier. It was created by a chef for a prince-bishop in the 1700s. What makes it special are the chunks of pearl sugar mixed in. These sugar pieces caramelize (turn into a sweet, crunchy coating) on the outside when the waffle bakes. This is the most common type of waffle in Belgium, sold plain, vanilla, or cinnamon by street vendors.
- Bergische Waffles are a special treat from the Bergisches Land region in Germany. These waffles are crispy and not as dense as Belgian waffles. They are always shaped like a heart! People in this region often eat them with cherries, cream, and sometimes rice pudding as part of a Sunday afternoon meal.
- Hong Kong Style Waffles, known as "grid cakes" or "grid biscuits" (格仔餅) in Hong Kong, are usually sold by street hawkers. They are larger and round, divided into four quarters. People eat them warm as a snack. Butter, peanut butter, and sugar are spread on one side, then the waffle is folded into a semicircle to eat. They are sweet and soft, made with eggs, sugar, and evaporated milk. Another popular Hong Kong waffle is the eggette or gai daan jai (鷄蛋仔), which has a cool ball-shaped pattern.
- Pandan Waffles come from Vietnam. Their batter includes pandan flavoring and coconut milk. The pandan gives the batter a bright green color. When cooked, the outside turns brown and crispy, while the inside stays green and chewy. Unlike many other waffles, pandan waffles are usually eaten plain.
- Scandinavian Style Waffles are popular in the Nordic countries. They are thin and made in a heart-shaped waffle iron. The batter is similar to other waffles. Most often, they are served sweet with whipped or sour cream and strawberry or raspberry jam, fresh berries, or just sugar on top.
- Stroopwafels are thin waffles with a sweet syrup filling. They were first made in Gouda, Netherlands, a long time ago. The batter is made from flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Small balls of batter are pressed in a waffle iron. While the waffle is still warm, it's cut into two halves. A warm filling of syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon is spread between the halves, gluing them together. They are very popular in Belgium and the Netherlands and can be bought in packages at supermarkets.
Images for kids
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Detail of a Belgian moule à oublie (an old waffle iron)
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Detail of a French moule à oublie / moule à gaufre from the Musée Lorrain
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A detail from Pieter Bruegel's painting Het gevecht tussen Carnaval en Vasten – one of the first pictures showing waffles!
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Charles IX, King of France, was the first to make rules about selling waffles.
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Liège Waffles – a famous creation from the 1700s, but the recipe wasn't written down until 1921.
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A food van selling waffles in Brussels.
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The "Belgian" waffle is very popular in North America.
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Kue gapit is a type of waffle popular in Indonesia.
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Stroopwafels, a delicious treat from the Netherlands.
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A thick, rectangular Brussels waffle topped with powdered sugar.
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A plain, half-moon shaped waffle sold at a neighborhood store in Singapore.
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Thin waffles rolled into cylinders.
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Thin, round waffle cookies made in Belgium and sold in the United States.
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Round waffles with irregular edges, called Galettes campinoises.
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See also
In Spanish: Gofre para niños
