A soldier is a thin strip of
toasted bread
Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
, reminiscent of a soldier on parade. The shape lends itself to dipping into a
soft-boiled egg that has had the top removed.
Soldiers are called in French, but also Apprête, mouillons, piquettes in
French Normand and lichettes in
Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
.
In 2005, ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' reported the invention of a device for cutting bread into soldiers. Shaped cutters to produce soldiers shaped like human soldiers are also available.
History
There is an early reference from 1728 in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
to a "garnish of fry'd Bread, cut the length of one's Finger", as an accompaniment to boiled
tench
The tench or doctor fish (''Tinca tinca'') is a freshwater, fresh- and brackish water, brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including Great Britain, Britain and Ireland east into Asia as far ...
.
In 1868
Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.
Early life
Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ' ...
mentions mouillettes in the novel
Le Petit Chose: "''A sa gauche, Annou lui taille des mouillettes pour ses oeufs, des oeufs du matin, blancs, crémeux, duvetés''".
The specific English term "eggs with soldiers" appears to date from the 1960s. The modern phrase first appeared in print in 1966 in British writer
Nicolas Freeling's novel ''The Dresden Green'' (where it is used to eat soup). It is possible that it was either popularised or invented in 1965 in a series of TV advertisements for eggs starring
Tony Hancock
Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor.
High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series '' Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...
and
Patricia Hayes.
See also
*
List of toast dishes
Toast (food), Toast is sliced bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. It appears as a main ingredient in many dishes, often as a base on which other food is served.
Toast dishes
* Avocado toast – mashed avocado on toast. A ...
References
Breads
Toast dishes
{{bread-stub