Lucas Delgado
Chicken and waffles is a beloved dish that has become a staple in American cuisine. The dish is a combination of salty and sweet, crispy and soft, breakfast and dinner, day and night. The origin of the dish is steeped in history and has been influenced by various cultures and culinary traditions. The roots of fried chicken can be traced back to ancient civilisations, with historical records suggesting that the technique of frying chickens was known in ancient Egypt and Rome. However, the dish's modern evolution is a result of the intermixing of European settler culinary traditions, mainly German and Dutch, and African-American cuisine.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Earliest known version | Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1600s, where waffles were served with pulled chicken and gravy |
| Other early versions | Fried catfish and waffles served in hotels and resorts outside Philadelphia in the early 1800s; broiled chicken and waffles served in taverns in Springfield, Massachusetts by the 1840s; fried chicken and waffles served in the South before the Civil War |
| Later history | Combination of chicken and waffles appeared in Jazz Age Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s, and in the Los Angeles soul food scene around the same time; chicken and waffles were served at restaurants in New York City, Western Massachusetts, and Hawaii by the turn of the 20th century |
| Theories about origin | May have originated in Germany, where it was common to serve meat with something to soak it up; may have originated in the Southern U.S., where African Americans ate chicken with pancakes that later evolved into waffles; may be a combination of European settler and African-American culinary traditions |
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What You'll Learn
The Pennsylvania Dutch
By the 1800s, hotels and resorts outside Philadelphia served waffles with fried catfish, and by the 1840s, broiled chicken and waffles were a celebrated specialty at Warriner's Tavern in Springfield, Massachusetts. A memoir from 1901 recalled a tavern in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was known for "suppers of spring chickens and waffles". By the end of the 19th century, the dish had become a symbol of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, in part due to its association with tourism.
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German and Dutch settlers
The idea of chicken and waffles has been influenced by various cultures and culinary traditions. The dish's proto-form likely started from enslaved Africans cooking golden crispy rice waffles and serving them with brined and fried chicken. The roots of fried chicken can be traced back to ancient civilizations, with historical records suggesting that the technique of frying chickens was known in ancient Egypt and Rome. However, these early methods differed from the fried chicken we know today.
African cuisine had a significant influence on the evolution of fried chicken, introducing spices and herbs not traditionally found in European cooking. In the 13th century, the waffle as we know it today was born when someone cooked wafers on an iron cast with a honeycomb pattern. The Dutch word for honeycomb is "wafel", and the Old French word "wafla", meaning "a piece of honeybee hive", evolved into the modern word "waffle".
When German and Dutch settlers came to America, they brought with them the tradition of serving meat with something to soak up the juices. The Pennsylvania Dutch, who were German immigrants, served pulled chicken and gravy on waffles. This dish became a symbol of Pennsylvania Dutch Country and was associated with tourism by the end of the 19th century. By the 1840s, broiled chicken and waffles were a celebrated specialty at Warriner's Tavern in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Pennsylvania Dutch version of chicken and waffles differs from the modern interpretation. Instead of fried chicken pieces, they used plain waffles topped with pulled stewed chicken and gravy. This version of the dish influenced the later soul food interpretation that emerged with the opening of the Wells Supper Club in Harlem, New York, in 1938. The restaurant became a popular late-night destination for jazz artists, who arrived post-performance, looking for a meal that was neither too late nor too early.
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African-American culture
The origins of chicken and waffles can be traced back to the intermingling of two culinary traditions: the food of European settlers, mainly German and Dutch, and African-American cuisine. According to culinary historian Adrian Miller, author of "Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine", the dish likely started from enslaved Africans cooking golden, crispy rice waffles and serving them with brined and fried chicken. This is supported by the fact that, historically, chicken held a special place in Southern slave society as it was the one type of livestock that slaves were allowed to own for themselves. Chickens were so lucrative that enterprising slaves could even buy their freedom with the earnings from their coops.
In the 1700s, German and Dutch immigrants to the United States, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, brought with them the tradition of serving meat with something to soak up the juices, such as a waffle. This dish was originally served with pulled stewed chicken and gravy and was a common Sunday dish among the Pennsylvania Dutch by the 1860s. By the end of the 19th century, it had become a symbol of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. As the dish travelled south, the bland, creamy Pennsylvania Dutch chicken was replaced with crisp-fried chicken, a delicacy for African Americans in the South.
In the post-Civil War era, African American women sold fried chicken to train passengers in Gordonsville, Virginia, a major stop on two railroad lines. Fried chicken was a popular dish as it travelled well before refrigeration. Resort hotels began offering fried chicken dinners and fried chicken and waffle lunches, and by the turn of the century, the dish had spread to New York City, Western Massachusetts, and even Hawaii.
In the 1930s, chicken and waffles were served in Harlem, New York, in establishments such as Tillie's Chicken Shack, Dickie Well's jazz club, and the Wells Supper Club, a favourite haunt of jazz musicians. This is where the dish became associated with soul food and gained national popularity. The combination of chicken and waffles was also brought to Los Angeles in 1931, when it was served at The Maryland restaurant, marketed as a Southern specialty.
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Jazz Age Harlem
The origins of chicken and waffles are steeped in history, with roots in various cultures and culinary traditions. While the exact origin of the dish is uncertain, it is believed to have emerged in Jazz Age Harlem, in the 1920s and 1930s, as a late-night meal for hungry revellers exiting jazz clubs. The dish was served in Harlem establishments such as Tillie's Chicken Shack, Richard Wells' jazz nightclub, and the Wells Supper Club, which became a favourite haunt for jazz artists.
The evolution of chicken and waffles in Harlem was influenced by the culinary traditions of European settlers, particularly the Germans and the Dutch, and African-American cuisine. In Germany and among the Pennsylvania Dutch, it was common to serve meat with something to soak up the juices, such as a waffle. This tradition merged with African-American culinary traditions, where chicken held a significant place in Southern slave society as one of the few types of livestock that slaves were allowed to own. Chicken was also a key commodity in the commerce of slaves and free blacks, who sold poultry and produce to their owners and others.
The dish's popularity in Harlem is believed to have contributed to its spread across the country. Notable visitors to the Wells Supper Club, such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Nat King Cole, helped spark a national interest in chicken and waffles. By the late 1990s, the dish began to explode in mainstream culture, appearing on menus across the nation.
The combination of chicken and waffles has also been associated with soul food and the South. While it did not appear in early Southern cookbooks, it is believed that African Americans in the South considered the dish a delicacy due to the rarity of chicken and their familiarity with pancakes or flapjacks rather than waffles. Chicken and waffles were also served in resort hotels throughout the country, which hired freed slaves and their children to staff their kitchens. These hotels offered fried chicken dinners and fried chicken and waffle lunches as attractions, contributing to the dish's popularity.
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Los Angeles
Chicken and waffles is an American dish that combines chicken with waffles. While the dish likely originated in the American South, it was popularised in Los Angeles by Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles, a restaurant founded by Harlem native Herb Hudson in 1976.
Roscoe's introduced chicken and waffles to California, and the dish was featured in five Hollywood films, including Jackie Brown. The restaurant has also been referenced in several movies and spun off into a small chain, with eight operational locations. It has become a favourite of Hollywood celebrities, including Snoop Dogg, Shaquille O'Neal, and even President Obama.
The Los Angeles Times refers to Roscoe's as "such an L.A. institution", and it has become a timeless classic in the city. Roscoe's is often credited with introducing chicken and waffles to the West Coast, bringing the dish to the Hollywood crowd and making it a popular urban dish.
While the exact origins of chicken and waffles are unknown, it is believed to have emerged from the intermixing of European settler cuisine, mainly German and Dutch, and African-American culinary traditions. Some sources suggest that the dish was created by enslaved Africans, who cooked fried chicken based on recipes provided by Scottish slaveholders. Over time, these cooks made the dish their own, and it became a classic Southern meal.
In the 1930s, chicken and waffles were served in Harlem, New York, at locations such as Tillie's Chicken Shack, Dickie Well's jazz club, and the Wells Supper Club. The dish was also served in Los Angeles by 1931 at The Maryland, a restaurant that marketed it as a Southern specialty.
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Frequently asked questions
The idea of combining chicken and waffles likely emerged from the intermingling of two culinary traditions: the food of European settlers, mainly German and Dutch, and African-American cuisine. German immigrants to America, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, brought with them the tradition of serving meat with something to soak it up, such as waffles. This combined with the influence of African-American cooks, who contributed the tradition of frying chicken and serving it with pancakes, a dish that was sold by Black women at railroad stations in the late 1800s.
Chicken and waffles gained popularity in the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 1930s in Harlem, New York, where it was served in after-hours clubs and soul food restaurants. It was also around this time that the dish made its way to Los Angeles, where it was served in the soul food scene. The dish continued to grow in popularity due to its association with Hollywood celebrities and references in several movies.
There are several popular theories about the origins of chicken and waffles. One theory credits the Pennsylvania Dutch with starting the craze, with their tradition of serving pulled chicken and gravy on a plain waffle. Another theory suggests that Southern African Americans ate chicken with pancakes, and over time, the pancakes evolved into waffles. Some also believe that the modern versions of chicken and waffles originated in the African-American community of Harlem, New York, in the 1930s.
