Imagine you are living in Australia in the 1960s. It is a cold, wet day and you have just arrived home from school. You are starving and cold, and when Mum hands you your afternoon tea you are thrilled. Toasty bread, oozy cheese and thickly sliced ham and tomato all meld together to create the perfect, delicious jaffle.
When I showed the children this old fashioned jaffle iron, their reaction was very funny. They looked at the shape, the long handles and the metal ‘container’ at the end, and guessed that the item was an old fashioned bed warmer, with the coals being put in the area where the bread goes. When I told them that the item was actually a jaffle iron, like the ones we use to make toasted sandwiches, they were very surprised, with one child telling me ‘I thought it was a new idea’.
Although the iron I showed the children is a ‘jaffle iron’, and even has the name embossed in the metal, jaffles go by a number of different names. In Australia and South Africa they are called jaffles, but they also go by the names pudgy pies, toasties, brevilles and tosti. They are extremely popular in Australia and South Africa, and it is possible that they originated in one of these countries. We do not know for sure though when or where the jaffle iron was first produced. In the 1920s in America Charles Champion patented the Tostwich, which is probably the oldest American produced toasted sandwich maker.
In Australia, the toasted sandwich maker or jaffle iron has long been very popular. In fact, it is possible that people were making basic toasted sandwiches over the campfire in the 1800s. The jaffle iron was perfect for the Australian climate though as it was ideal for outdoor cooking over a fire, and made good use of leftover food. In 1974 the Australian company Breville produced the first popular electric jaffle maker, which used a standard sized sliced bread and actually cut and sealed the sandwich. Earlier irons like the one I showed the children sealed the sandwich, but did not cut it. Breville sold over 400000 Snack and Sandwich Toasters in Australia in 1974, and soon created versions for the British market. Today many manufacturers use a similar design for electric jaffle makers, but camping stores still sell jaffle irons like the old one I showed the children for those wanting to indulge in this old fashioned treat.