Pain perdu, or French toast, is made by dipping bread in a mixture of eggs, milk, and sugar and frying it until golden brown. Originally a dessert, it is now a breakfast staple worldwide. Variations include using different types of bread and flavorings, and it is known by different names in different countries. The name “German toast” was changed to “French toast” in the US before World War I, and it briefly became a “toast to freedom” during anti-French sentiment in 2003.
Pain perdu means “lost bread” in French and is the culinary term used for what is better known as French toast. Originally meant to be served as a dessert, French toast has become a breakfast staple around the world. Whether served with butter and maple syrup, fruit preserves, or a simple dusting of powdered sugar, perdu is typically made by dipping bread in a mixture of eggs, milk, and sugar and frying it in butter until golden brown.
The traditional French painkiller perdu is made for consuming leftover bread, often stale from exposure to air. Thick slices of baguette or French bowls are typically used, and sometimes flavorings such as cinnamon or vanilla are added to the egg mixture. The staleness of the bread helps keep the slices from getting soggy in the middle, which can be a problem for French toast made from thin, pre-sliced commercial loaves. To replicate the classic pain perdu when stale bread isn’t available, leaving the slices out for several hours or overnight to allow the moisture to dissipate will help mimic the stale quality.
The first French toast recipe in the United States dates back to 1871, but similar fried bread dishes can be found as early as the Middle Ages. Depending on the origin of the recipe, different types of bread were used to make pain perdu. In Jewish cooking, challah, a traditional sweet egg-based bread, is often used, and Italian cooks might use panettone, a light, cake-like bread for the holidays often dotted with bits of dried fruit. There are also variations in preparation techniques, with methods such as frying replacing the pan in New Orleans, Belgium and the Congo. You can also bake pain perdu on a lightly buttered or oiled baking sheet, which helps reduce the fat content a bit.
Pain perdu isn’t the only other name for French toast. The British call it “egg bread” and the Spanish know it as “torrijas”. In Hong Kong, French toast is called “Western toast” and is often filled with fruit or another type of sweet filling before frying. In Germany, it is called “arme ritter” which means “poor knights”, because it is made from waste and leftovers, and when wine replaces milk, it takes the name of “betrunkenen jungfrau”, which means “drunk virgin”.
Interestingly, before World War I, people in the United States typically referred to pain perdu as “German toast.” Popular feelings about Germany at the time prompted a change to the more familiar name of “French Toast”. Similarly, when anti-French sentiment temporarily took hold in 2003, pain perdu became a “toast to freedom” as he served in the White House and US Congress.
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