You must have had French toast at least once in your life. It’s a delicious meal for breakfast, afternoon, and even desserts.
But have you ever had rabanadas?
If you haven’t, then you’re in the right place. I’ll tell you everything about rabanadas, the Portuguese French toast that somehow found its way to Brazil.Yes, the toast has a fascinating multicultural history!
What Is Rabanada?
Rabanada is a Brazilian type of French toast and pronounced, hah-bah-nah-duh. It’s wheat bread that’s been soaked in milk.
Afterward, it’s fried and soaked in sugar syrup.
The reason for bathing in milk is that the wheat bread is supposed to be stale. Putting it in milk is a way to soften it a bit to be make into the toast.
The Brazilian dessert originated in Spain and Portugal before making it to Brazil in no time.
People cook French toast in a lot of countries around the globe, but only these three countries make rabanadas.
Rabanada mostly appears on dining tables around Christmas. It’s the main afternoon snack or Brazilian dessert in that merry time of the year.
The Difference Between Rabanada and Every Other French Toast
Although rabanada is strikingly similar to French toast, they’re not the same thing. The same ingredients are used for both of them, but the cooking method is different.
That’s why they’re not considered non-identical twins, but rather close cousins.
Most Americans make French toast by frying it in a pan, using a piece of butter. Meanwhile, rabanadas are fried in oil, which is the reason for the distinctive golden color they get.
Besides, the American folks sometimes eat it with bacon, while Brazilian people only eat rabanada with cinnamon sugar or syrup.
When making French toast, people mostly mix the eggs with the rest of the ingredients. For rabanadas, they coat only the exterior with eggs.
That’s why it makes the perfect combo of creamy insides and crispy outside.
In Brazil, some people cover their toast with olive oil instead of eggs. It tastes delicious too, and it’s healthier.
Lastly, in Portugal and Brazil, people eat rabanada as an afternoon treat or a dessert.
However, in America, it’s a breakfast meal, most of the time. As a matter of fact, it’s eaten for breakfast in almost all countries.
Read: Bom Dia! 10 Traditional Brazilian Breakfast Foods
A Brief of Rabanadas’ History
Humanity first heard of rabanadas in the fifteenth century, when the renowned Spanish poet, Juan del Encina, talked about it in one of his works.
It’s not clear how it originated, but Juan mentioned it as a dish that helps for post-childbirth recovery.
The first recipe of rabanadas traces back to 1607. Yes, the Portuguese dessert has been around for some time now!
It was found in a cookbook written by Domingo Hernandez de Maceras.
Apparently, the recipe changed four years later. Some historians found it in a cookbook that was written in 1611 by Francisco Martinez Motiño.
By the twentieth century, the wintery dessert had already gotten popular in Spain.
They served it at the Lent Festival in Madrid’s taverns. Meanwhile, the Portuguese people served it in Christmas feasts, and they still do.
The dessert migrated from Portugal to Brazil, as a result of Portugal’s colony of the Latin American country.
Since then, Brazilians have been making French toast the same way the Portuguese do it.
The Recipe of Brazil’s Christmas French Toast
I know you must be dreaming of tasting rabanadas right now.
Don’t worry; you don’t have to go all the way to Brazil to eat it.
I’ll show you an easy Brazilian recipe that’s made of ingredients you’ll likely find in your household.
Rabanadas Ingredients
- ½ stale French baguette
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 a cup of granulated sugar
- Frying oil
- Maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
Step 1: Divide the Bread
Before starting with the actual steps, grab a large baking sheet and line it with a couple of paper towel layers.
Then, set it aside; we’ll get back to it later.
Now, you should divide the bread into slices. You can cut it as thick as you prefer; just make sure you make enough slices for the whole family.
Next, arrange the bread for soaking. Make sure you don’t stack it on top of each other.
The next step you should do is mix the milk with the vanilla and sugar.
Afterward, pour it over the bread slices, making sure they’re completely soaked.
Leave the bread soaking for 20 minutes or longer, if possible.
Step 2: Fry the Bread
After the bread is done soaking, it’s time to fry it. Grab a large skillet and fill it up to two inches with vegetable oil. Then, leave it for a few minutes over medium heat.
While the oil is heating, beat two eggs and dip the bread slices in them. Make sure to coat both sizes and let the excess drip back into the bowl.
When the oil starts sizzling, gently place the bread slices in it, giving them enough space so that they don’t stick to each other.
Every few minutes, check on the underside of the bread. If it’s brown like it should be, flip it, so the other side also gets the color.
For the last bread slices, you may have to lower the heat a bit because it’ll likely get too hot.
If you notice your bread is getting darker than it should, do it immediately.
When the bread is ready and fried, place the slices on the paper towels that you prepared earlier.
Step 3: Add the Final Touches
Now that the slices of bread are ready, it’s time to prepare the cinnamon sugar.
Grab a small bowl and mix some sugar and cinnamon together. Then, pass each slice’s edges through the mixture.
If you want to dip the whole slice, by all means, go for it!
Before dipping the slices in the cinnamon sugar, make sure to remove any excess threads that result from frying eggs.
Afterward, serve the rabanada with a side bowl of honey or maple syrup. If you’re a fruit lover, you can serve some blueberries or strawberries with it.
The cinnamon in it also goes well with bananas and apples.
Bom Appetit!
Final Thoughts
Almost every European country is famous for a dessert or a piece of bakery.
Luckily for the Portuguese folks and subsequently Brazilians, their countries are known for a delicious, heavenly plate!
Now that you know how to cook rabanadas, you can bring Brazil to your kitchen.
That’s the good thing about cooking.
You merely mix some ingredients, and you get yourself a new cuisine at home!
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.