Fwd: on "French" toast

[Barbara Need]

The _Chicago Tribune_ agrees: today's Tempo section had an article about
renaming various things (including Belgian Waffles) and claimed that "French"
toast got that name when people were renaming German things.

Barbara

Quoting James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM>:

> "My dear old uncle Herman, says that french toast's
> really german."
>
> from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
>
> What is french toast called in German?
>
> French toast is found in France, but the french call
> it "pain perdu" - "lost bread" (which is reclaimed
> through this preparation method).
>
> As french toast is merely a grilled variety of bread
> pudding - baked egg custard and old bread - I find it
> hard to believe a Mr. French "invented" it.  (Or maybe
> bread pudding is a baked variety of french toast:  how
> do we know which came first?)
>
>
> --- Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
> > Can't remember at the moment what our prevailing
> > wisdom was on
> > "French toast".  Can anyone confirm or refute this
> > story, just
> > forwarded to me by one of our students?  It seems a
> > bit
> > etymythological to me, especially the
> > not-knowing-proper-usage-of-the-apostrophe bit, but
> > then French toast
> > isn't found in France, unlike French fries (even if
> > the latter are
> > the national food of Belgium, and even if they're
> > just called
> > "frites" in both countries).
> >
> > larry
> >
> > --- begin forwarded text
> >
> > A toast to stupidity
> >
> > Apropos of the politicians who are expunging the
> > word "French" from
> > cafeteria menus, a gastronomic historian writes:
> > "French toast was not
> > invented in France. In fact, it was invented in
> > Albany, NY. Tavern owner
> > Joseph French is credited with inventing the famous
> > breakfast in 1724.
> > Supposedly, Mr. French didn't know the proper usage
> > of the possessive
> > apostrophe and, instead of 'French's toast' he put
> > 'French toast' on his
> > menu."
> >
> >
> >          (from Joe Conason's Journal, on salon.com)
> >
> > --- end forwarded text
>
>
> =====
> James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
> South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
> jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
>                                |or slowly and cautiously.