French toast

French toast is a dish of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs and often milk or cream, then pan-fried. Alternative names and variants include eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, and poor knights (of Windsor).

When French toast is served as a sweet dish, sugar, vanilla, or cinnamon are also commonly added before pan-frying, and then it may be topped with sugar (often powdered sugar), butter, fruit, or syrup. When it is a savory dish, it is generally fried with a pinch of salt or pepper, and it can then be served with a sauce such as ketchup or mayonnaise.

Terminology
According to the Oxford companion to food, this preparation occurs in various forms and under different names in many countries but it is convenient to treat the French version as the archetype, explaining the term ‘French toast’ commonly used in English.

The usual French name is pain perdu ( lost bread, reflecting its use of stale or otherwise "lost" bread. It may also be called pain doré golden bread in Canada.

History
Some authors consider the recipe for Aliter Dulcia (translated as 'Another sweet dish') included in the Apicius, a 1st century CE Ancient Roman cuisine cookbook, "not very different" from modern French toast, although it does not involve eggs.

In Le Viandier, culinary cookbook written around 1300, the French chef Guillaume Taillevent presented a recipe for "tostées dorées" involving eggs and sugar.

A 14th-century German recipe uses the name Arme Ritter poor knights, a name also used in English and the Nordic languages.

In the 15th-century, there are English recipes for pain perdu and culinary expert Martino da Como also offers a recipe.

In Spain, one of the first recipe was published in 1611 by Francisco Martínez Motiño.

An Austrian and Bavarian term is pofesen, the name comes because the shape of the dish reminds the medieval knight's shields from the city of Pavia. In Hungary, it is commonly called bundáskenyér (lit. "fluffy bread").

In Ottoman cuisine, a dish of bread soaked in eggs with honey but no milk is called fāvniyye.

Preparation
Slices of bread are soaked or dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs, often whisked with milk or cream. Sliced or artisan loaves cut to 3/4 to 1" thick are frequently used as the bread of choice. Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla may be variously added to the mixture. The bread is then fried in butter or olive oil until browned and cooked through. Day-old bread is often used, both for its thrift and because it will soak up more egg mixture without falling apart.

The cooked slices may be served with sugar or sweet toppings such as caramel, ice cream, jam, honey, fruit, or maple syrup.

Variations
There are many variations. The dipping mixture might not include eggs; and the bread may be soaked in wine, rosewater, or orange juice, either before or after cooking.

Balkans
In Southern Slavic countries such as Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia it is called prženice, pohane šnite, moče or ribanjke. It is eaten sweet or savory and paired with ajvar, jam, cheese, prosciutto, or sausage.

Brazil and Portugal
In both Portugal and Brazil, rabanadas are a traditional Christmas dessert. Many recipes often use Tinto or Port wine.

Denmark
In Denmark, Arme Riddere (Poor Knights) is a sweet breakfast dish that can also be eaten as an afternoon treat or evening dessert. The Danish version of this dish uses sugar with cinnamon instead of plain sugar.

Finland
In Finland, Köyhät Ritarit (Poor Knights) is a dessert made by frying slices of wheat bread soaked in milk. Sometimes, a dried bun is also used instead of wheat bread. An egg can also be mixed into milk and if desired, a little sugar and wheat flour can be added. The slices are dipped on both sides in the milk mixture before frying. Usually poor knights are eaten warm with jam and whipped cream. In some lunch restaurants, a dessert made of bun slices is called rich knights. This is to make a difference to the poor knights made of French bread or other light bread. The name "rich knights" comes from the whipped cream crown. The poor knights have no whipped cream.

France
In France, pain perdu has a wide range of regional variations.

Georgia
In Georgia it is known as kikliko (ყიყლიყო). It is a popular dish for brunch or breakfast and is almost always served as a savory dish. Sometimes different kinds of cheese are also combined.

Germany
In Germany, Arme Ritter (Poor Knights) or Pofesen are at least known since the 14th century (mentioned in Deutsches Wörterbuch (The German Dictionary) by the Brothers Grimm).

Greece
In Greece, it is known as Avgofetes (Αυγόφετες) or Avgopsomo (Αυγόψωμο). This dish is a breakfast staple that involves dipping bread in scrambled eggs and frying it. It can be enjoyed in either a savory or sweet flavor profile, with a range of toppings and accompaniments, such as feta and honey.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong-style French toast is typically prepared by combining multiple slices of bread with peanut butter or fruit jam filling, then dipping in beaten egg and deep frying. It is served with butter, and topped with golden syrup or honey. It is a typical offering in cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style diners or teahouses). Other types of filling that can be found are meat floss, kaya jam, ham, or beef satay.

India
In India, Bombay toast is a dish sold on the "streets of Mumbai" by hawkers and vendors, Bombay toast is also called Sweet French Bread.

Norway
In Norway, Arme Riddere (Poor Knights). Once only a dessert dish, it is now eaten for brunch or breakfast. Most common spices are cinnamon and cardamom.

Romania
In Romania, it is known as frigănele and almost always served as a savory dish without milk, although milk can be requested at most dinners.

Singapore
French toast is a familiar menu item in the hawker centres of Singapore, where it is often part of a breakfast set with soft-boiled eggs or coconut jam (kaya).

Spain
Torrija is a similar recipe traditionally prepared in Spain for Lent and Holy Week. It is usually made by soaking stale bread in milk or wine with honey and spices. It is dipped in beaten egg and fried with olive oil. This cooking technique breaks down the fibres of the bread and results in a pastry with a crispy outside and smooth inside. It is often sprinkled with cinnamon as a final touch.

Torrijas or torrejas were first mentioned by the Spanish composer, poet and playwright Juan del Encina (1468–1533) in his Cancionero, published in 1496. "Anda acá pastor" has the following verse:

The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, French toast is called wentelteefjes, verloren brood (lost bread), or gewonnen brood (reclaimed bread). It is a sweet breakfast dish that can also be eaten as an afternoon treat or evening dessert. The Dutch version of this dish often uses sugar with cinnamon instead of plain sugar. Wentelteefjes are often associated with childhood, where a grandmother provides her grandchildren with a luxury special sweet breakfast on special occasions.

United Kingdom and Ireland
In the UK and Ireland, it is also known as eggy bread or occasionally Gypsy toast, a name which dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries. It was also called Pamperdy or Poor Knights Pudding. "Eggy bread" can be served as a sweet or savoury dish. The other names refer to the sweet version. A commercial product known as French toast is sold in packets in supermarkets but this typically contains no egg and is more similar to Melba toast.

United States
French toast was popularly served in railroad dining cars of the early and mid-20th century. The Santa Fe was especially known for its French toast, and some railroads provided recipes for these and other dining car offerings to the public as a promotional feature.

New Orleans
In New Orleans Louisiana Creole cuisine, French toast is known as pain perdu and is most commonly served as a breakfast dish. The recipe calls for New Orleans-style French bread; the batter is an egg-based custard that may include spirits. Common toppings include cane syrup, strongly flavored honey, or fruit syrups; a dusting of powdered sugar is also traditional.