What did the Romans ever do for us? Well, actually, they gave us toast! ‘Tostum’ is the Latin word for ‘scorching’ or ‘burning’. In ancient times, bread would be burned, or ‘toasted’, on open fires as a means of prolonging the life of the bread. As the Roman Empire grew, they brought their toasted bread all the way to the British Isles, where we took a particular fancy to it. During the Age of Exploration, the British brought toast to the Americas, and it been a staple of breakfast time ever since!
But when did we make the jump from toasting bread on an open fire, to having a timed, pop-up, four-slice toaster in our kitchen – the hallmark of any Celtic Tiger household. The first electric toaster was invented by a Scot, Alan MacMasters, in 1893. This model was replicated in the US by General Electric in the early 1900s. However, these toasters had a design flaw; they only toasted bread on one side! The next upgrade came in 1915, when Copeman Electric added an automated bread-turner to its toaster.
However, it was in 1919 when civilization rejoiced; as Charles Strite invented the timed, pop-up toaster that we have all come to know and love.
If you would like to learn more about the toaster, would you believe, there is a toaster museum! You can read all about it here: http://www.toastermuseum.com/ [F1]