Waffle maker

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Carnival scene with waffle cheeks
Drawing by Hieronymus Bosch (1450–1516)

A waffle iron is a kitchen appliance that can be used to make waffles , wafers , ribs and similar pastries. Other names are croissants iron , clamp iron and (Eiser-) pie iron . In Host iron for the production of wafers , it also is waffle iron.

Origin and Distribution

The origin and first use of waffle irons have not been fully researched. In the 12th and 13th centuries they were widespread in France ( gaufrier ), around 1300 in the Netherlands , and from the 14th century onwards they can be found in all of Western and Central Europe. Also in Austria , Switzerland and Italy there are very nicely drawn irons. Preforms are seen in Sweden and Norway , where baking irons with round plates from the seventh to tenth centuries that were not yet decorated were found in women's graves from the Viking Age . In the 9th century, a waffle iron ([ferrum] oblatorium ) is mentioned in Normandy , which may have been used for baking hosts . According to the folklorist Ernst Thiele, the development of such irons ran parallel in the church and non-church areas.

Technical development

Industrially manufactured reversible waffle iron for hard waffles with the inscription God bless mining , end of the 19th century
Waffle maker or ice cream cake maker , from left: North German 1781, Nice / Corsica around 1400, Alsace 1641, Hanover 1810
Electric waffle maker

Waffle irons consist of two iron plates. The outside is smooth, the inside has a structured honeycomb or triangular pattern, an inscription or picture motifs, as a negative matrix for the future waffle shape. You always need two irons, a lower part and a matching upper part. As a rule, both parts are connected to each other like pliers with a hinge and equipped with two rods as a handle. When baking over an open fire, long stems were required to keep enough distance from the fire. The waffle irons have been forged individually by hand since the Middle Ages . With industrialization in the second half of the 19th century, they were also drop- forged in some places , later often made in series from cast iron without any special individual jewelry. The company "Schnitzler und Kirschbaum (tools and small iron goods)" in Solingen offered forged, engraved waffle irons in 1830: "Rectangular plates with wide, square waffles [...]; Heart-shaped plates with diamond-shaped waffle [...]; Round plates with narrow, square waffles and a border ornament of semicircles and triangles ”. In the 1930s, Ernst Thiele met blacksmiths in Fläming and East Friesland who at least occasionally produced hand-forged waffle irons.

Since the 15th century, the originally round plates have also been made in France in a rectangular shape. This practice spread from the Netherlands to Brandenburg . Other regions (southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, East Friesland, Westphalia , Lower Saxony ) stuck to the round iron wholly or predominantly, in Scandinavia both forms were to be found. In 1903, the American and ice cream seller Italo Marchiony, who came from Italy, was granted a patent on a waffle iron for making ice cream cones. The New Yorker is therefore considered to be the inventor of the ice cream cone. Modern waffle irons are heated electrically and are equipped with a non-stick coating and a temperature controller . They are available in round and rectangular shapes. Long stems are no longer required. Sandwich toasters work on the same principle as waffle irons. For a long time the power was supplied, as with other hot devices, such as the iron , via a device plug, which was known as a waffle iron plug , but is no longer used for safety reasons.

Design and decoration

Waffles were a common celebratory pastry for New Year celebrations , weddings and Shrovetide , where they were given away to servants and maids or as thanks for good wishes. The visual and textual design was geared towards these occasions and is subject to the respective artistic time style. Waffle irons were part of the bridal equipment . Rich engravings have been found on the waffle irons since the second half of the 13th century. Even if the same topic was dealt with for several irons, the type of representation only corresponds in individual cases. The designers of the iron remained anonymous in most cases, names or name symbols are the exception. The iron's artistic appearance became impoverished with the switch to industrial forging and casting technology in the second half of the 19th century. The die-forged irons still had a uniform pattern. The devices manufactured using the casting process did not have any special jewelry, but a honeycomb pattern or something similar.

According to Thiele's observation, the forged irons have been decorated using three main techniques since at least the 15th century:

  • Chisel technique: the cross or flat chisel was held with the left fist and hit with a hand hammer. This crude technique could be developed into quite perfect designs.
  • Engraving technique: Here the work was carried out by hand pressure, without a hammer. The lines of the graphic were peeled free from the iron plate. Areas were usually filled with dashes or hallmarks , stroke next to stroke.
  • Working with form stamps: recurring details of the image representation and ornamentation were stamped in with form stamps (crosses, circles, animal shapes).

Many irons, according to Thiele, were made without a template, others testify to a well-planned overall design. In the case of round irons, there is often a hammered center point on which the rest of the picture is based, a central picture as an ornament and an inscription or ornament around the edge. Rectangular irons provide space for inscriptions or sequences of images arranged from left to right. Irons with textual design refer to the pastry itself or the occasion for baking. The name, occupation and place of residence of the client could be the subject of the inscription, including the name of the bride, whose trousseau the waffle iron belonged to, or the name of the giver. Biblical quotations and pious inscriptions were also widespread. The year of origin has been added on some irons.

Pictorial design elements for waffles were coats of arms and house brands , men and women or representations and symbols that referred to the occupation of the client or owner of the iron and thus gave the pastry a personal touch. State coats of arms also appeared. Horses and deer - also in hunting scenes - were widespread in animal depictions, as well as unicorns , birds and roosters. There are also tree representations in multiple variations and symbols such as heart, star and rosette. Religious motifs as decorations for waffle irons and pastries were related to the occasions for baking: At the turn of the year and at the wedding, they expressed the people's “faithful bond with God”. While the motifs with which the wafers were adorned, preferably the cross , the Christ monogram IHS and the Lamb of God , were found in the secular waffle irons with an abundance of depicted themes and symbols. Very often the "Lamb of God" was depicted as a symbol for Jesus Christ , the crucifixion and the resurrection scene in which Christ emerges from the grave. Depictions of the crib or the baptism of Jesus are rare. Adam and Eve were popular , as well as other subjects from the Old Testament such as Joshua and Caleb . St. George was a preferred motif for the saints depicted .

use

With the advent of the baking iron it became possible to decorate the usual flat, round dough cakes for festive use with simple means through the baking process itself. Before that, it was necessary to treat the individual pastry with wooden baking shovels or bread stamps . At the same time, it was now possible to produce larger quantities of the pastry in a short time. Ernst Thiele assumes that this baking method will be used in both ecclesiastical and profane areas, for baking hosts on the one hand and annual, wedding or celebration cakes on the other.

Ernst Thiele compiled recipes from the 18th century for the use of the traditional waffle iron, for example from Nuremberg (1703), Itzehoe (1766) and Paris (1723 and 1750). The waffle iron was first heated on both sides over the fire (for example on a tripod ) and then greased inside with butter tied in a cloth or with bacon. A spoonful of dough was then poured into it, and the iron was placed first from one side and then from the other on the tripod standing above the fire until the desired baking condition was achieved. At first it was only allowed to be closed carefully (“but don't close it immediately”, Nuremberg cookbook) to prevent the dough from leaking. The finished product could be removed with a knife, for example. The Itzehoer Kochbuch points out that excessive heat and haste are not advisable and that the finished "wafers" should be placed over the fire afterwards, otherwise they would be "soft and spongy" when stacked on top of each other. The Nuremberg cookbook also gives care recommendations: The irons should not be rinsed wet or even scrubbed, but simply wiped with a cloth and then placed in such a way that the two iron leaves do not touch.

Pictorial evidence from the 15th to 17th centuries shows individual stages of this baking process, for example by Hieronymus Bosch , Pieter Aertsen and Pieter Bruegel the Elder . In all three cases the irons are rectangular; Aertsen shows how dough is taken from a vessel with a ladle and put into the iron, in Bruegel you can see a knife or a scraper with which the dough remnants that are apparently pressed out are removed. Very different doughs are said to have been processed with these waffle irons, thin as well as flat-like thick ones. The composition also varied greatly from region to region. We are talking about simple recipes made from barley flour, water and salt, and grated carrots were also occasionally ingredients; on the other hand, there were also elaborate preparations with egg yolks, cream, butter and honey or sugar. Additions of various spices such as cinnamon , saffron , cardamom or anise are also attested. For use directly over the stove fire, there were round waffle irons that could be easily inserted into the opening of the cast iron stove top and rotated around its horizontal axis. Using hearth rings in different sizes, the opening above the fireplace could be changed as required, for waffle irons, pots or kettles. The latter form is also known as “waffle pan” and “rotating iron”.

Derived word usage

In Belgium , a compensation policy that provides for a fair distribution of funds on the part of the country, sometimes metaphorically with the word "waffle iron policy" (Flemish: Wafelijzerpolitiek) denotes: If Flanders gets a major project, the need Wallonia obtain such and vice versa.

literature

  • Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Oda-Verlag GmbH, Cologne 1959.
  • Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Gerhard Stalling Verlag, Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, pp. 108–124.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 111. - Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 17.
  2. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 111.
  3. ↑ Miraculi s. Wall regisili . n.53: Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 18 note 95. - Josef Andreas Jungmann : Missarum Sollemnia. A genetic explanation of the Roman mass. Second volume, 5th edition. Nova & Vetera, Bonn and Herder, Vienna-Freiburg-Basel 1962, p. 46 Note 34. - [1] - FF Niermeyer / C. van de Kieft: Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus. Middle Latin dictionary. Vol. II M − Z, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2nd edition, Leiden 2002, p. 949 refers to the Miraculi Wandregisili and translates oblatorium as “waffle iron” ( gaufrier , wafer-iron ).
  4. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 19.
  5. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 111f.
  6. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 21f; Quotation from the sample book of Schnitzler and Kirschbaum, Blade Museum in Solingen, p. 22 note 110a.
  7. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 24.
  8. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 112.
  9. ↑ Patent US746971 A for a mold for making ice cream cups from wafer batter
  10. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 112.124; Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 6.23.
  11. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 111.
  12. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, pp. 21-24.
  13. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 26.
  14. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, pp. 31-37.
  15. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 37, Thiele examines waffle irons made between the 15th and 20th centuries.
  16. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Art. Waffle iron and waffle biscuits. History, style development, iconography. In: Hans Jürgen Hansen: Art history of baking. Oldenburg / Hamburg 1968, p. 124; Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, pp. 113-117.
  17. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, p. 18.20.
  18. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, pp. 8-9. Thiele quotes, among others, the following works: The excellent cook who once escaped from Parnasso and who have been different from Löbl. Koch-Kunst eager women in Nuremberg / distracted and kept in great secret Gemerck-Zettul , Nuremberg 1702. Lower Saxony cookery book. Made by Marcus Looft, city cook in Itzehoe. Altona 1766. Dictionnaire des alimens, vins et liqueurs. Paris 1750. The menage des champs et de la ville ou Noveau cuisinier francois. Paris 1723.
  19. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, images on the front cover, p. 12 and p. 29.
  20. ↑ Ernst Thiele: Waffle irons and waffle biscuits in Central Europe. Cologne 1959, pp. 10-14.
  21. ↑ See for example Malte Woydt: Dissociative Federalism (1): Belgo-Föderalismus. In: Ines Härtel (ed.): Handbuch Föderalismus. Volume IV: Federalism in Europe and the World. Springer, Heidelberg 2012, pp. 745–795, here: pp. 784f.

Web links

Wiktionary: waffle iron  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Commons : Waffle Maker  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files