23 February: National Toast Day

Today is National Toast Day, so here are 10 things you might not know about toast:

1. The word toast comes from the Latin torrere 'to burn'.

2. Archaeologists have found evidence that humans were eating toast 30,000 years ago in ancient Egypt.

3. The toasting process is also known as the Maillard reaction which occurs at about 310 degrees Fahrenheit when the Sugars in Bread turn Brown and crunchy.

4. In Britain in olden times, toast was something you put in a drink. One of the first reference 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) dating back to 1430. In Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Falstaff says: "Go fetch me a quart of sack; put a toast in't."

5. The world record for eating a slice of toast was set by Anthony Falzon in Malta on the 30th of August 2014. He managed to eat a single slice of toast in 8.47 seconds.

6. The first toaster was invented in Edinburgh in 1893. However, this machine could only toast one side of the slice at a time.

7. French toast is neither French nor toast. It dates back to ancient Rome where they would moisten old bread with the juices from cooking and add Eggs for protein. French in this context is from an old word meaning to slice or separate something. In France they call the dish pain perdu, which translates as lost bread. It’s not toast because it’s the eggy coating that is browned rather than the bread. National French toast day is on November 28.

8. Toast is part of a traditional English breakfast. It is often eaten with Baked beans. Another common toast meal is to cut the toast into strips and dip them in to a soft boiled egg. The strips of toast are known as “soldiers”.

9. The average household in the United States spends about 35 hours a year making toast.

10. In 1835, New York Magazine came up with the reason why toast always lands Butter side down. When a slice of toast slips out of someone’s hand it will be at an angle. With less than six feet to the ground, it will only have time to do a half turn before hitting the floor.