There are more than twelve varieties of waffles only in Belgium. It is mention-worthy that the Americans have recipes of their own. With varieties of toppings and ingredients, there are many ways you can eat a waffle, yet Belgian waffles are considered the most popular one.
What makes them so unique? Why we all have different opinions about the belgian vs regular waffle? We shall see. So let us discuss Belgian waffle vs regular waffle.
Background History Of Waffles
Let’s start with the waffle’s history first, then we will go to recipe history.
In Ancient Greece, people used to bake cake using hot iron plates, and those iron plates had various designs. Today’s Waffle maker still has them, but they’re mostly square-shaped.
Waffle came to America with Dutch immigrants in the late 15th or early 16th century. Thanks to them, now it’s enjoyed throughout America everyday as breakfast or dessert.
In case if you are wondering why it is called Belgian waffle, here is something to enlighten you. Belgian waffles were first introduced by Maurice Vermersch of Brussels, Belgium. This recipe is mostly based on Brussels waffle. Later on, he decided to change the name to Bel-Gem waffle as he realized many Americans could not identify Brussels as the capital of Belgium.
Recipe History: Regular Waffle And Belgian Waffle
For the sake of comparison, we need to go down to the recipe. Once we know the recipe, it’ll be easier to discuss the Belgian waffle vs regular waffle.
- Belgian Waffle: Belgian Waffle is mainly a North American waffle variety. It is based on Brussels waffle, a simplified version. Typically, yeast is used in the recipe, though some recipe use baking soda instead of yeast. They are distinguished from regular American waffles by their depth. The machine design is different. These machines have one and a half-inch depth on the plate.
- Regular waffle: All the waffles have almost the same recipe; some just use egg-white-leavened, and some use baking soda leavened instead of the egg. Regular waffles are less thick than the Belgian waffles. It is also smaller in size, so it cannot hold much syrup, and sadly, syrup makes the waffle taste awesome.
Check out our recipe! Easy Belgian Waffle Recipe!
So Which One Is The Best Waffle?
Now we know the difference between Belgian waffles and american waffles, but which one is best? Let’s compare and contrast these to waffles and see who wins, belgian waffle vs American waffle.
All waffles are made almost with the same ingredients, yet Belgian ones are considered more popular. Let’s find out what makes them unique. A perfect Belgian waffle has a beautiful combination of crisp outside and light and fluffy in the middle.
Different Belgian waffle pans cook different shaped waffles squire, rectangular, round waffles. And all of them have one thing in common. They have more depth than the regular ones. So these waffles can hold more syrup than the normal ones, and different syrups make the treat more delicious.
Toppings on waffle-like powdered sugar, any fruit, maybe bananas berries, can be used as per taste. Hey, here is something extra, try putting Nutella or peanut butter instead of syrup. It’ll blow your mind.
So which one is better in the game of Belgian waffle vs Normal waffle? I’ll say it’s your choice, but you know more is better, and who can hold more Nutella than the Belgian waffle.
What Makes A Waffle Belgian?
Belgian Waffles are a little unique in shape and sizes; to make them, you’ll need a waffle iron with a deeper and larger grid pattern. That deeper iron grid makes deep little pools in the waffle.
Those little pools, which are deeper than regular American-style waffles, help to hold more syrup. Belgian waffle has a very light and crispy texture, and with those little pools full of syrup and topping will give you the best experience. And that is what makes a waffle Belgian.
Nutrition Facts Of Belgian Waffle
Let’s be honest; waffles are sweet and so delicious that you cannot resist but keep eating once you get the taste of it. In Belgium, there is no time for eating a waffle. Whatever the reasons, waffles work any time of the day, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it always works.
Heck, just through some fruits, they’ll work fine as dessert. And yeah, don’t forget about the late-night snack; just put some Nutella in those holes and enjoy the crisp.
But is it healthy? Let’s go through some facts.
Waffles are made with ingredients that nutritionists suggest limiting. It consists of white flour, which can cause health issues. Let us not forget Waffles are made of using butter and a lot of sugar.
A Belgian waffle has approximately 590 calories, 29 grams of fat, and 17 grams of sugar.
Now you decide how many of them you want in a day. Yea, I know, it’s hard.
Bottom Line
By now you know the difference between regular waffles and belgian waffles. Those delicious little things filled with syrup, fruits, or as a special edition, maybe nutella can be served anytime, anywhere.
The Belgian waffle is something historical and traditional food, while regular waffles are just an edition of it, which is no match to the Belgian one. Nonetheless, there are more than twenty varieties of waffles and can be improvised as per taste.
At the end of the day, the heart wants what it wants. There should be a barrier to choose one of the others. Which one do you consider superior between belgian waffle vs regular waffle? We leave that to your discretion.
