French toast funnily enough was not invented by the French, infact it has been around long before France ever existed as a country, although the exact origins of french toast are unknown, but traditionally it was made up from stale bread, and up until very recently the vast majority of humans would never have dreamed of wasting food, therefore one had to find a way to make stale bread palatable. By soaking it in egg and milk solved that problem and made for a tasty meal.
The earliest reference to doing this dates back to the 4th century Rome, in a cook book attributed to Apicius. The Romans would take the bread and soak it in a milk and egg mixture, and then cook it, typically frying it in oil or butter, which is pretty much just the way its made today in many countries in the world.
Another popular myth as to the origins of the name "French toast", is that French toast actually came from America, specifically, being created in 1724. The name French toast came from the chef who first made it, Joseph French. Supposedly, Mr French was bad at grammar and when he named it, simply forgot the apostrophe, as in Frenche's toast.
This story of course, is pure fiction as there are numerous references throughout history of what is now called , in North America, French toast. There are numerous cook books from the middle ages throughout Europe that even give the classical recipes for French toast.
French toast predates the 18th century, with the earliest references popping up in the mid 17th century, before the story of the grammatically inept Joesph French. Before that time, it was also known as German toast, Spanish toast, and a variety of other names, only of which had anything to do with the name of the country. www.todayifoundout.com
Moving forward to present time, and locally made "French toast" buy the LostandFound crew, who do not use stale bread, but rather locally sourced artisan bread made in Ballycastle by Ursala Minor bakery. They now have 3 lovely fusions of "French toast" my personal favorite French toast with caramelized pecan nuts, cinnamon syrup and a dollop of fresh cream, the combined flavors make for a very palatable meal, wanting you to crave more, like been on narcotics its just something you simply cannot live without anymore.
Then just when you thought it could not possibly get better they brought out French toast and strawberries and mint leaves, a beautiful touch that completes the flavor combination in your mouth, leaving a slightly minty taste.
And very recently, they have because strawberries are seasonal brought out French toast with sweet nectarines, infused with lemon honey , cardamom, for a sweet honey lemon flavor, another killer combination that explodes in your mouth, depending on the nectarine you get the sweetness level will vary, but really any one of these fine dishes will blow the senses out of the water.
Normally only served on a Saturday, they are currently available through out the week till 14:00, and do not forget to try their artisan coffee. Lost and Found one of the new Artisan coffee shops on the North Coast, go and give them a visit, the atmosphere and vibe in the cafe is vibrant and easy going, with loads of extra space upstairs, but more about the coffee shop later.
