Annunciation Waffles

History

This Annunciation recipe comes from Evelyn Birge Virtz’s cookbook, A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family and Faith Throughout the Christian Year. Vitz’s book is a great resource for any family that wants to center its home around the Church’s rhythm. It contains over 275 recipes and provides informative commentary on Christian traditions.

The waffle has been a popular food item for feast days since the twelfth century. But it has a special connection with Annunciation Day. 

The Swedish word for Our Lady’s Day is Vårfrudagen, which happens to sound a lot like the Swedish word for Waffle Day, Våffeldagen. Over time, the two words became conflated with each other. Because many Christians would eat waffles on March 25th to celebrate this Church feast, others also came to adopt the holy day as the primary waffle-eating day within the country. Thus, in many Scandinavian countries today, March 25th is celebrated as both the Annunciation and Waffle Day!

Annunciation Waffles

Traditionally, Annunciation Waffles are eaten for dessert. However, you can make this recipe your own by choosing whatever toppings you’d most like to have on your waffles!

Some traditional Scandinavian options include topping your waffles with lingonberries or another type of fresh fruit and then adding whipped cream. You can also make a more dinner-worthy savory waffle by incorporating fresh herbs into the batter and then topping them with lox, ham, or caviar; cream cheese or crème fraîche; and capers.

Here are some more combinations:
-Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato
-Canadian Bacon, Poached Egg, and Hollandaise Sauce
-Applesauce, Cinnamon, and Walnuts
-Peanut Butter, Bananas, and Shaved Chocolate

While the Annunciation sometimes falls during the Easter season, it is also frequently observed during the season of Lent. If you try to abstain from meat and dairy during Lent, this recipe might not be for you; however, we have found that there are plenty of vegan waffle recipes that can help you celebrate the Annunciation in a festive manner!

That being said, we hope that you enjoy this recipe with your family as you celebrate the Annunciation!

Swedish Waffles by Evelyn Birge Vitz

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups heavy cream, well chilled

1 ⅓ cups flour

1-2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

½ cup cold water

3 tablespoons melted sweet butter

Instructions

1. Whip the cream until stiff.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the water to make a smooth batter. Fold the whipped cream into the batter. Stir in the melted butter.
3. Heat the waffle iron. (If it is well-seasoned, it will not need to be greased.) Fill the grid surface about two-thirds full of batter. Bake until golden brown.
4. Place on a rack to keep crisp while you make the rest of the waffles.

References:
1. Vitz, Evelyn Birge. A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family and Faith Throughout the Christian Year. Ignatius Press. 1985.