Culinary History: Chicken And Waffles | 50Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of chicken and waffles in Harlem? ›

Food scholars have plenty of origin theories about chicken and waffles. Many of them declare that a 1930s Harlem restaurant named Wells Supper Club came up with the notion of serving crispy thighs alongside deep-pocketed batter, or that the practice started with Pennsylvania Dutch home cooks of the 1600s.

However, the one undisputed fact about chicken and waffles is their link to African American cuisine. Whether the recipe was invented in jazz clubs in New York, or in the 1700s when the waffle iron became an American staple, what can be said is that they are delicious when made right.

The earliest version of the American chicken and waffle combo traces back to the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1600s, where waffles were served with pulled chicken and gravy. A different interpretation, influenced by soul food, emerged much later with the opening of Wells Supper Club in Harlem, New York, in 1938.

Waffles served with chicken and gravy were a common Sunday dish among the Pennsylvania Dutch by the 1860s. By the end of the 19th century, the dish was a symbol of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, brought on in part by its association with tourism.

The waffle in Old Greece was a fundamental variant of flat cakes, which were produced by baking the cakes between two metal plates. Obelios, as these cakes were called, weren't especially sweet, but their design developed over time as people started customizing the food.

Some say African Americans in the south started the recipe a very long time ago. Other say some restaurants in NYC (more specifically Harlem) is where chicken and waffles started. Some theories also give the credit to the Pennsylvania Dutch for starting the chicken and waffles craze.

Southerners will say that they created the chicken and waffle dish but it actually originated in Pennsylvania thanks to the Pennsylvania Dutch. In the 1600s, the Pennsylvania Dutch served a dish that had a waffle with pulled chicken and gravy on top, thus creating the chicken and waffle dish.

The dish is iconic. Legendary. Widely recognized as a southern delicacy and a soul food classic, my readings on this topic also indicate that the combo of chicken and waffles (in gravy) originated in North America with the Pennsylvania Dutch. Going way back!

It was founded by Herb Hudson in 1975. The Los Angeles Times has referred to Roscoe's as "such an L.A. institution that people don't even question the strange combo anymore." The New York Times refers to it as a "beloved soul food chain." The original location in Long Beach, California, remains open.

While you may find chicken and waffles appearing on many brunch menus, it is typically appropriate to order it either day or night. This means you have a great excuse to enjoy crispy fried chicken for breakfast or a sweet waffle for dinner any time you want. How do I Eat Chicken and Waffles?

Who introduced waffles to America? ›

Waffles arrived in the U.S. with the Pilgrims, who sampled them in Holland en route to Massachusetts. Thomas Jefferson reportedly brought a waffle iron home from France around 1789, helping spark a fad for waffle parties in the States.

Chicken and Waffles, Cheesy Garlic Bread and Sriracha. Each of these three flavors was created and shipped to stores in February 2013.

Waffles trace all the way back to ancient Greece where they were flat cakes called obleios, cooked between two hot metal plates, the earliest waffle irons. By the middle ages, these cakes, made form flour, milk or water, and sometimes eggs became known as wafers and continued in their popularity.

Market research firm Datassential reports that chicken & waffles are currently found on 4.6% of menus across the United States., up 45% over the past four years.

Beginning in the Harlem Renaissance years, New Yorkers flocked uptown where nearly every eatery served traditional African-American dishes — fried chicken, collard greens, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese.

NY school apologizes. Students at a New York middle school were served chicken, waffles and watermelon for dessert on the first day of Black History Month, its principal said, sparking outrage among parents.

The full name was Wells' Restaurant, but to those in the know it was just plain Wells'. For more than 40 years, until it closed in 1982, it was one of the hot spots of Harlem.