Toasted baguette
On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Toast is sliced toasted baguette that has been browned by radiant heat. The browning is the result of a Maillard reaction altering the flavor of the bread and making it firmer. Butter or margarine, and sweet toppings, such as jam or jelly, are commonly spread on toast.
The word toast comes from the Latin torrere ‘to burn’. In a modern home kitchen, toast is usually made in a special-purpose electrical appliance, a toaster. Sliced bread is placed into the slots on the top of the toaster, the desired degree of toasting is set, and a lever is pushed down to expose the bread to the heated elements. The toast is popped up when it is ready. It can also be toasted by a conveyor toaster, which device is often used in hotels, restaurants, and other food service locations. Toaster ovens are special small appliances made for toasting bread or for heating small amounts of other foods. This “oven toast” is usually buttered before toasting.
It can also be made by heating bread in a skillet or pan. Left: Toast with butter and vegemite. Right: With butter and strawberry jam. Toasted breads in West Bengal, India, used during teatime.
Toast is most commonly eaten with butter or margarine spread over it, and may be served with preserves, spreads, or other toppings in addition to or instead of butter. Toast is an important component of many breakfasts. In the United Kingdom, toast is part of a traditional breakfast: it may be incorporated in a full breakfast or eaten with baked beans. A dish popular there with children is eggs and soldiers. Toast is also used in some traditional bland specialty diets for people with gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea. This is because toasting breaks down the starch in the bread and makes it easier to digest. In southern Sri Lanka, it is common for toast to be paired with a curry soup and mint tea.
In Japan, people like to toast thick slices of bread. Toast became a staple dish in Japan after World War II, especially after it was introduced in school lunches throughout the country due to the shortage of rice. By 2013, “artisanal toast” had become a significant food trend in upscale American cities like San Francisco, where some commentators decried the increasing number of restaurants and bakeries selling freshly made toast at what was perceived to be an unreasonably high price. Toasted bread may contain Benzopyrene and high levels of acrylamide, a carcinogen generated during the browning process. Another popular idiom associated with the word “toast” is the expression “to toast someone’s health”, which is typically done by one or more persons at a gathering by raising a glass in salute to the individual.
