I’ve been trying to learn (on the web, of course because I’ve forgotten how to do research using books — just kidding) more about the origins of waffles. Yes, waffles, those yummy, dented pieces of cooked batter. Who thought of that? Every time I go to the ice cream or frozen yogurt shop they try to sell me a waffle cone or bowl. Which is interesting since the ice cream cone itself was probably first created out of a waffle or waffle-like pastry, so we’ve come full circle on that one. But how did the waffle itself come about? It’s not like someone had a waffle iron sitting around and decided to pour some batter into it. It’s a very specialized kitchen appliance — you can’t use it to cook anything else I can think of. I can’t find any definitive information on the origin of waffles. They came to the U.S. with the Europeans and Britannica.com says they are mentioned in 12th century French poems. The leading theory is that someone took pancakes, which have been around forever, and started denting them so that sauce or syrup would stay in the holes. That evolved into the waffle. This saved slashdot posting is probably the strangest waffle-related page I came across. Apparently the waffle continues to evolve and, um, inspire.