Toast (food)
Toast is sliced bread that has been browned by radiant heat. The browning is the result of a Maillard reaction altering the flavor of the bread and making it firmer. The firm surface is easier to spread toppings on and the warmth can help butter reach its melting point. Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable. Bread is commonly toasted using a toaster or a toaster oven. Toast may contain acrylamide caused by the browning process, which is suspected to be a carcinogen.[1] However, claims that acrylamide in burnt toast causes cancer have not been proven.[2]
"Toasted" redirects here. For other uses, see Toasted (disambiguation).Type
Butter or margarine, and sweet toppings, such as jam or jelly, are commonly spread on toast. Regionally, savory spreads, such as peanut butter or yeast extract, may also be popular. Toast may accompany savory dishes such as soups or stews, or it can be topped with ingredients like eggs or baked beans to make a light meal. Toast is a common breakfast food. A sandwich may also use toasted bread.
Etymology and history[edit]
The word toast comes from the Latin torrere 'to burn'.[3] One of the first references to toast in print is in a recipe for Oyle Soppys (flavoured onions stewed in a gallon of stale beer and a pint of oil) from 1430.[4] Toasting was likely first used to increase the edibility of bread that had become slightly stale.[5] In the 1400s and 1500s, toast was discarded or eaten after it was used as a flavoring for drinks.[4] In the 1600s, toast was still thought of as something to be put into drinks.[4] In his 1602 play The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare gives Falstaff the line: "Go fetch me a quart of sack; put a toast in't."[6] Toast has been used as an element of American haute cuisine since at least the 1850s.[7]
Other foods which are toasted[edit]
Cheese and marshmallows are also toasted by exposure to dry radiant heat.[34][35] A toasted cheese sandwich melts the cheese and toasts the bread. Bagels, English muffins, Pop-Tart pastries, and crumpets can also be toasted.
