National French Toast Day – November 28, 2025

History of National French Toast Day

Here’s the first thing you need to know: The French do not call this French toast. It’s called “pain perdu,” or “lost bread,” because you can literally use stale bread to make it. (Most Americans, however, might find that objectionable.)

French toast, according to Frenchly, comes from a desire to not waste food. Also, please note that it’s a major faux pas to throw bread way. (Bread has religious meaning.) Most experts agree that French toast dates back to ancient Rome. A similar recipe can be found in the book of Apicius from the 5th century BC. The Romans dipped slices of bread in milk (and sometimes eggs) before frying them, and called it “Pan Dulcis.”

Fast forward to the 1400s and you’ll find a similar recipe at the court of Henri V where the “lost bread” attracted many fans. Still, it wasn’t until the mid 17th century that the term “French Toast” appeared in England. Food historians believe the term “French” does not even mean France;  instead, it refers to the verb “to French” which means “to slice” in Old Irish. 

So, “French toast” is actually “sliced toast.”

Irish settlers traveling to the U.S. and Canada may have brought the term with them. The phrase “French toast” first appeared in The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink in 1871. However, similar recipes were also called “Egg toast,” “Spanish toast,” and even “German toast.”

There’s another less exotic theory. French toast may have been called “French” because it enabled chefs to inflate the price. “Traditionally in the United States, we have an admiration for French cuisine, which we consider elaborate and gastronomic,” says Kitchen Project Editor-in-Chief Stephen Block. “And that’s probably why this dish was named that way. It’s just marketing. There’s no chance that ‘Lost Bread’ could have worked. And since the dish was successful and the recipe was easy, the name spread.”