MUFFINS!

MUFFINS!

Samuel Bath Thomas, son of Theodore Thomas and Anelia Patton, was born in Plymouth, England, in 1855. At the young age of twenty-one, he emigrated to New York with nothing but his saved-up pennies and restless heart set on his own business. Samuel was married to Janet “Jenny” Paton Thomas, and they had four daughters: Mary T. Thomas, Emily Eliza “Bessie” Thomas Siffert, Kathleen “Kate” Thomas, and Roberta P. Thomas. 163 Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, was where he set up his infant bakery, though it did not remain as such for long. Thomas soon expanded to Philadelphia and New England but sadly died in 1919 before any other expansions could be made. His daughter and nephews inherited the business, incorporating it and later buying Sahara Pita under the Thomas name brand.

He was the man who made muffins famous.

But what are muffins? This is something I questioned while writing this paper. Stemming from the German word muffe or muffen and the old French word moflet, muffins are significantly different in every culture. For example, the Welsh discovered British-style muffins in the 10th century. They were cooked in a unique ring-shaped mold and placed on a hot stove or oven. However, the typical dome of “low-ratio cake and quick bread” mix, “English muffins,” didn’t show up in recipes until the 19th century. Around this time is when Samuel Bath Thomas started his dough-based muffins.

Now, muffins have evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. They are beloved accomplices to a coffee breakfast and a budget-friendly, foolproof treat! You can experiment with the flavors, the shapes, the packaging, and anyway you make them, muffins are some of the most heavenly grain-based foods (and should definitely be on top of the food pyramid, in my opinion). So if you want a simplistic and yummy breakfast or general snack, muffins are the way to go!

Works Cited

Javas, Mochas &. “History of the Muffin - Mochas & Javas - San Marcos Coffee Shop.” Mochas & Javas, Mochas & Javas, 7 Aug. 2019, https://www.mochasandjavas.com/history-of-the-muffin/.

“Muffins | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia.” BAKERpedia, https://www.facebook.com/Bakerpedia, https://bakerpedia.com/processes/muffins/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.

“Muffins, Origin and History - Food News.” Food News, 31 Dec. 2020, https://www.foodnewsnews.com/news/muffins-origin-and-history/.

“Muffins, Origin and History - Food Reference History Articles.” FoodReference.Com: Food Articles, Trivia, Festivals, Recipes, History, James T. Ehler , 2020, http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmuffinhistory.html.

“PONDAN - History of Muffins.” PONDAN - Kreasi Pondan Food, PONDAN STORY, 13 Nov. 2018, https://pondan.com/en/article/history-of-muffins/#:~:text=British%2Dstyle%20muffins%20were%20discovered,in%20the%20early%2019th%20century.

Simmons, Amanda. “American Cookery 1796: Preface.” FoodReference.Com: Food Articles, Trivia, Festivals, Recipes, History, James T. Ehler, 1796, http://www.foodreference.com/1796/html/recipes1796preface.html.