 Melba toast topped with goat's cheese andtomato jam | |
| Type | Toast |
|---|---|
| Course | Appetizer |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Created by | Auguste Escoffier |
| Main ingredients | Bread |
Melba toast is a dry, crisp and thinly slicedrusk, often served with soup and salad or topped with either melted cheese orpâté. It is named afterDameNellie Melba, the stage name of Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell.[1] Its name is thought to date from 1897, when the singer was very ill and it became a staple of her diet.[2] The toast was created for her by a chef who was also a fan of her,Auguste Escoffier, who also created thePeach Melba dessert for her. The hotel proprietorCésar Ritz supposedly named it in a conversation with Escoffier.[3][4]
Melba toast is made by lightlytoasting slices of bread under agrill, on both sides. The resulting toast is then sliced laterally. These thin slices are then returned to the grill with the untoasted sides towards the heat source, resulting in toast half the normal thickness.[5]
Melba toast is also available commercially, and was at one time given to infants who wereteething as a hard food substance on which to chew. In the UK, this is similar to a commercial product known asFrench toast,[6] although it is very different from the egg-based dish known asFrench toast in the USA.
In France, it is referred to ascroutes en dentelle.[7]
In 1925, theMayo Brothers prescribed the "Eighteen Day Reducing Diet" toEthel Barrymore. It included Melba toast, which made the toast very popular at the time.[8] Melba toast was also eaten as a component of theBanting diet.[citation needed]
