63 French Toast Facts: Special & Tasty Dish For You!

Apicius, an ancient Roman cookbook that contains recipes in Latin from around the 5th century, contains a dish titled 'aliter dulcia', meaning ‘another sweet dish’.

'Aliter dulcia' is the oldest reference in history to what we today know as French toast. In France, French toast is also called ‘pain perdu’, meaning the ‘lost bread’.

It is among the easiest recipe with minimal ingredients. All one needs is milk, eggs, butter, and stale bread to make nice and tasty French toast.

All across the world, French toast is referred to with different names and recipes. Some of these names are German toast, Bombay toast, eggy bread, poor knights of Windsor, omelet bread, nun’s bread, French-fries bread, and Spanish toast. It was made in the Middle Ages when the impoverished European cooks were struggling to feed their families.

They didn’t have enough resources left so had to make do with what was available. They utilized day-old bread and used eggs and milk for moistening it and then fried to make it a toast.

This little survival experiment led to the birth of French toast. It was, however, in the year 1724 when Joseph French, Albany innkeeper in America, recreated this recipe, it got called ‘French Toast’.

Read along to find out more interesting facts about eggy bread! Afterward, also check French quarter facts and French Resistance facts.

Cool Facts About French Toast

Here are some fun and cool facts about French toast which you will most certainly enjoy.

'Pan Dulcis' was the name given by the ancient Romans to this delicacy. Originally, ‘le pain a la Romaine’, meaning ‘Roman bread’, was the name given to French toast in France but then it got more popular as ‘pain perdu’.

In 1871, in the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, the words ‘French toast’ were first printed. The staler the bread, the better the French toast. Stale bread absorbs the batter quite nicely.

Although it is often eaten as a breakfast recipe, in France, it is considered more as a desert, hence, the extra sweetness of the toast. Even in Brazil and Portugal, French toast is served as a Christmas dessert and is known as ‘Rabanada’ in Portugal.

Also, it is served as ‘torrijas’, an Easter dessert in Spain, and is often made with wine instead of milk. November 28 is celebrated as the National French Toast Day in America. I

This 'lost bread' is traditionally served as a 'gypsy toast' along with powdered sugar. Beaten eggs are poured on sliced bread, usually fine white bread.

This sweet snack of egg mixture topped with whipped cream is served alongside orange juice. Multiple slices of white bread, like two slices, are typically prepared with these similar recipes dating back many many ages.

Global Types Of French Toast

French toast is made with stale bread being moistened with an egg, milk, and honey batter, and then being fried. It has been given many names all across the world and even got many variations. Here are some interesting facts on the popular global variations of French toast.

In France, it got called ‘pain perdu’, ‘old bread’ as it was made using the bread that is mostly thrown away. In the USA, it is served with numerous different toppings but the most common are maple syrup, butter, and powdered sugar.

In Scotland, it is eaten as a sandwich with sausage stuffing and in Great Britain often ketchup is accompanied. In Italy, the bread is first sandwiched with mozzarella, followed by being soaked in the whipped egg and then getting fried and severed with cheese and tomato sauce.

In Germany, it is made with sugar and some cinnamon along with a topping of vanilla sauce or plum jam, it is known as ‘Arme Ritter’ or ‘poor knights’ there.

In Hong Kong, it is sandwiched with peanut butter or jam, soaked in whipped egg and deep-fried, and is mostly served with honey or golden syrup. Bananas, maple syrup, and bacon are used as topping in New Zealand.

In Spain, Torrija is the most common dessert for Holy Week and Lent, it is made with wine, honey, spices, milk, being soaked in beaten egg and shallow fried in olive oil.

This dish is eaten as a breakfast food in numerous countries. The recipe of this dish is quite straight forward which makes this food easy to make during breakfast.

The recipe for this food does not include many items. The main items in the recipe of this food include bread, eggs, milk, and a few spices. This recipe hardly takes 10 minutes to prepare some of the most delicious French toasts that you would have ever tasted in your life.

Health Benefits Of French Toast

French toast is among the healthy breakfast options. It is rich in fiber, vitamin D, selenium, protein, minerals, and riboflavin. The total calories in French toast are between 300-450 calories, and thus, provide enough energy for the day.

It also has a high amount of carbs, and thus, is good for smooth bowel movements. French toast made of whole-grain bread adds the benefit of controlled blood pressure and cholesterol. It provides about 6% of the daily fiber requirement.

It helps in improving metabolism and digestive health. The toast has a protein value of 0.13 oz (3.9 g) and can be increased by using more eggs. It provides about 9% of daily vitamins and mineral control.

Ingredients And Their Benefits

The ingredients used for making French toast along with their benefits are:

Cinnamon: It is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, reduces the risk of heart disease.

Sugar: It provides better gut health and sleep.

Nutmeg: It is an antioxidant with properties to reduce heart issues, cancer risk and provides dental health.

Eggs: They are a good source of protein and vitamins.

Butter: It strengthens the bones and makes skin healthier.

Milk: It is the best source of calcium.

Bread: It offers carbohydrates and fiber.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for French toast facts, then why not take a look at French Riviera facts, or French cuisine Facts?