Cooked right, they’re warm and fluffy, with a glaze of buttery-syrupy goodness and a golden color to get anyone up and running to Denny’s at 2 a.m. Cooked wrong, well, waffles are still pretty delicious.
So delicious, in fact, we decided to celebrate them twice in a year. The first day, International Waffle Day falls on March 25 and shares the date with a religious holiday in Sweden. Here in America, National Waffle Day is honored August 28, the same date as the patenting of the waffle iron.
Before Eggos ever hit the market, March 25 alone marked an important event in Sweden called Varfrudagen (Our Lady’s Day) or Feast of the Assumption. Today, the similar-sounding Vaffeldagen (Waffle Day) shares that date out of a case of mistaken identity.
American Cornelius Swarthout patented his iron on August 28, 1869, a handheld contraption used with coals to flip and cook waffles for really, really patient families. It wasn’t for nearly another 90 years that Eggos—then branded Froffles (Frozen Waffles)—were a hit in American freezers.
In short, waffles have been around for a long while and if they keep tasting so darn good, maybe we’ll add another holiday to the list. In the meantime, March 25th is right around the corner. Get your forks and knives ready. Stock up on maple syrup, or maybe pull out that old waffle iron and get to cooking, especially if it’s 2 a.m.
DIY Waffles
