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Toast is created when dry heat encounters fresh bread, resulting in a crunchier texture and charred flavor. Toast has a unique structure that takes well to roasting and is often used as a base for spreads, cheeses, and meats. Toast has been made in various ways over the centuries, including skewering bread over an open flame and using electric toasters. The tradition of offering a “toast” to a dinner guest originated from adding toast to wine to remove poisons or contaminants.
Since fire and bread have been part of the human life support system for thousands of years, it was only a matter of time before the two formally met. The result is a crusty form of bread known as toast. Toast is the product created whenever a source of dry heat, such as an open flame or electric heating element, encounters a slice of fresh bread. Within minutes of direct heat, the proteins and sugars on the surface of the bread experience what professional cooks call the Maillard reaction. Essentially, the heat transforms the outside of the bread into a new creature we call toast.
Roasting is one of the oldest cooking methods known to mankind. Bread takes the process very well due to its unique structure of protein, moisture and starch. While baking is another form of dry heat cooking, baked bread still retains much of its moisture and “raw” quality. By exposing the surface of the bread to dry heat, the toasting process imparts a crunchier texture and a pleasant, slightly charred flavor as opposed to a tart, burnt flavor. Roasting also provides a sturdier structure to accommodate spreads, cheeses, cured meats, and other flavorful additions.
There are several types of toast, ranging from lightly browned pieces of sliced white bread to dark, crunchy toast often served as an alternative to crackers. The bread can also be toasted and topped to form cubes known as croutons. Croutons are especially popular as a salad topping or as a healthier snacking alternative. Many parents use a special toast called a zwieback to help their child through the teething process.
The process of making toast has changed over the centuries. Early toasters would have simply skewered a piece of bread and held it over an open flame. Later, special bread stands would be placed near a heat source and rotated several times until the proper level of toasting was achieved. After the industrial revolution, electric heating elements allowed users to place their bread in a dedicated machine called an electric toaster.
The connection between toast and the ceremonial dedication ritual known as toasting is an interesting one. At one point in history, wines and other fermented beverages often had dubious production histories and variable quality. Some beverages intended for real use may also have been poisoned or contaminated. In an effort to remove impurities and improve the quality of the drink, some imbibers would add a few pieces of toast to the wine or mead.
As an added safety feature, the celebrants would first raise their chalices to the sky to receive the gods’ blessings. Some well-chosen praise to the gods or royal guest would also be in order. From this practice of adding toast to wine to remove poisons or other contaminants arose the modern tradition of offering a “toast” to a dinner guest.
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