15^th Century: Pain Pur-Dew

Pain pur-dew (pain perdu), or ‘lost bread’, is also known as ‘eggy bread’ in Britain. Its French name has led many to assume it is a French dish; it is, in fact, a dish that appears simultaneously in many European cookery books in medieval times.

In the fourteenth century a recipe ‘pour faire tostees dorees’ (to make golden toast) appears in the French book Le Viandier de Taillevent. Around 1