Milk toast
Encyclopedia
Milk toast is a breakfast
food
consisting of toast
ed bread
in warm milk
, typically with sugar and butter. Salt, pepper, paprika, cinnamon, cocoa, raisins and other ingredients may be added. In New England, milk toast refers to toast that has been dipped in a milk-based white sauce. Milk toast was a popular food throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century, especially for young child
ren and for the ailing, for whom the food was thought to be soothing and easy to digest
. Although not as popular today, milk toast is still considered a comfort food
.
The celebrated food writer
M. F. K. Fisher
called milk toast a "warm, mild, soothing thing, full of innocent strength", and wrote, of eating milk toast in a famed restaurant
with a convalescent friend, that the food was "a small modern miracle of gastronomy
". She notes that even her homeliest kitchen manuals do not list it under Feeding The Sick or Invalid Receipts, arguing that milk toast was "an instinctive palliative, something like boiled water".
Fisher also notes that for true comfort, a ritual
may be necessary, and for Milk Toast people, the dish used may be foolishly important. Her favorite version of milk toast has the milk mixed 50/50 with Campbell's condensed cream of tomato soup
in a wide-lipped pitcher called a boccalino in Italian
Switzerland
where she got it.
Milk toast's soft blandness served as inspiration for the name of the timid and ineffectual comic strip
character Caspar Milquetoast
, drawn by H. T. Webster from 1924 to 1952. Thus, the term "milquetoast" entered the language as the label for a timid, shrinking, apologetic person.
on top.
and bryta in Swedish
. It consists of broken flatbrød
(wafer-thin, crisp bread), tunnbröd
or dry bread served in a bowl of cold milk (often filmjölk
) and sweetened with sugar etc. Soll was a everyday dish for peasants in the countryside, especially served as a simple supper in the evening. During the winter soll sometimes were served as breakfast with warmed milk.
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
consisting of toast
Toast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
ed bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
in warm milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, typically with sugar and butter. Salt, pepper, paprika, cinnamon, cocoa, raisins and other ingredients may be added. In New England, milk toast refers to toast that has been dipped in a milk-based white sauce. Milk toast was a popular food throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century, especially for young child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren and for the ailing, for whom the food was thought to be soothing and easy to digest
Digestion
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones....
. Although not as popular today, milk toast is still considered a comfort food
Comfort food
Comfort food is food prepared traditionally that may have a nostalgic or sentimental appeal. Comfort foods may be foods that have a nostalgic element either to an individual or a specific culture...
.
The celebrated food writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
M. F. K. Fisher
M. F. K. Fisher
Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher was a preeminent American food writer. She was also a founder of the Napa Valley Wine Library. She wrote some 27 books, including a translation of The Physiology of Taste by Brillat-Savarin. Two volumes of her journals and correspondence came out shortly before her...
called milk toast a "warm, mild, soothing thing, full of innocent strength", and wrote, of eating milk toast in a famed restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
with a convalescent friend, that the food was "a small modern miracle of gastronomy
Gastronomy
Gastronomy is the art or science of food eating. Also, it can be defined as the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine...
". She notes that even her homeliest kitchen manuals do not list it under Feeding The Sick or Invalid Receipts, arguing that milk toast was "an instinctive palliative, something like boiled water".
Fisher also notes that for true comfort, a ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
may be necessary, and for Milk Toast people, the dish used may be foolishly important. Her favorite version of milk toast has the milk mixed 50/50 with Campbell's condensed cream of tomato soup
Soup
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
in a wide-lipped pitcher called a boccalino in Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
where she got it.
Milk toast's soft blandness served as inspiration for the name of the timid and ineffectual comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
character Caspar Milquetoast
Caspar Milquetoast
Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series, The Timid Soul. In 1912, Webster drew a daily panel for the New York Tribune, under a variety of titles—Our Boyhood Ambitions, Life's Darkest Moment, The Unseen Audience...
, drawn by H. T. Webster from 1924 to 1952. Thus, the term "milquetoast" entered the language as the label for a timid, shrinking, apologetic person.
Milk toast in Asia
There is a dessert called milk toast which is served in many Asian milk tea cafes in Asia and the United States. It consists of thick, enriched toasted white bread with condensed milkCondensed milk
Condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, is cow's milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added, yielding a very thick, sweet product which when canned can last for years without refrigeration if unopened. The two terms, condensed milk and sweetened...
on top.
Milk toast in Serbia
There is also a dessert similar to milk toast which is served any time of the day. Best with fresh warm milk and day old bread.Milk toast in Norway and Sweden
A traditional Scandinavian dish similar to milk toast is called soll in NorwegianNorwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
and bryta in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
. It consists of broken flatbrød
Flatbrød
Flatbrød is a traditional Norwegian unleavened bread which is currently usually eaten with fish, salted meats and soups. Originally it was the staple food of Norwegian shepherds, peasants, and Vikings....
(wafer-thin, crisp bread), tunnbröd
Tunnbröd
Tunnbröd is the Swedish version of flatbread. Tunnbröd can be soft or crisp, and comes in many variants depending on choice of grain, leavening agent and rolling pin. The dough is made from any combination of wheat, barley and rye.Soft tunnbröd is commonly used as a wrap for other food, not...
or dry bread served in a bowl of cold milk (often filmjölk
Filmjölk
Filmjölk is a Nordic dairy product, similar to yoghurt, but using different bacteria which give a different taste and texture....
) and sweetened with sugar etc. Soll was a everyday dish for peasants in the countryside, especially served as a simple supper in the evening. During the winter soll sometimes were served as breakfast with warmed milk.
See also
- Milquetoast/Milk toast (disambiguation)MilquetoastA milquetoast is a weak, ineffectual or bland person. The word is derived from the character Caspar Milquetoast from the 1924 comic strip The Timid Soul.Milquetoast may also refer to:...
- TrencherTrencher (tableware)A trencher is a type of tableware, commonly used in medieval cuisine. A trencher was originally a piece of stale bread, cut into a square shape by a carver, and used as a plate, upon which the food could be placed before being eaten. At the end of the meal, the trencher could be eaten with sauce,...