Why Australian Grilled Cheese Is Called A Jaffle

Before delving into how the jaffle got its name, here's some quick intel on what a grilled cheese jaffle actually is. That cutesy name refers to an Australian sandwich, or "sanga" in Aussie slang. When filled with melted cheese, it's the down-under equivalent to an American grilled cheese sandwich. It contains the same two primary ingredients as similar sandwiches across the globe, namely bread and cheese, but it's undeniably distinct. 

The word jaffle isn't something you hear every day — or any day on most continents. It does, however, have a rhyming word that's loosely tied to the mystery and history: Waffle. A jaffle sandwich comes together inside a heated, double-sided food press, just like how a breakfast waffle comes from a waffle iron. There's little solid proof the two names are connected, but it does stand to reason. An enterprising Australian from Bondi, Dr. Ernest E. Smithers, invented and patented a "jaffle iron" in 1949, making it easy for people to make grilled sandwiches by pressing them between two metal surfaces heated over a fire. This rudimentary contraption eventually got an electric version from Australian company Cuisinart in 1974, and the rest is sandwich history. 

However, not all heated sandwich makers are the same, and only a certain style produces the characteristics of a true jaffle grilled cheese. It's definitely different from the classic American version.

Cuisinart called its invention a "Snack 'n' Sandwich Maker," and it reportedly enjoyed success across Australia, selling hundreds of thousands of units the first year. It's still used today around the world, including the USA, albeit with the streamlined name of Cuisinart Sandwich Grill. A simple internet search for "jaffle maker" quickly leads to multiple venues selling this sandwich machine, along with similar renditions of it from other manufacturers. 

What sets this machine apart, and therefore defines the jaffle sandwich itself, is how the sandwich press cooks and delivers the bread and cheese, plus other added ingredients. Deep patterned grooves inside a jaffle maker create triangle-shaped sandwiches and seal the bread crust on all sides, trapping the gooey melted cheese inside. Then a built-in clamp slices the bread into compact, individually sealed, sandwiches with crispy edges and warm melted cheese — ready to be devoured.  

Jaffles differ from other grilled cheeses primarily in the crust, which is open-ended in a classic American grilled cheese sammie. The American version is often created in frying pan or a heated sandwich press that leaves the edges open. It's customarily served in two halves of a square sandwich rather than the closed triangles of a jaffle. After falling in love with an Australian jaffle sanga, don't be afraid to expand your new jaffle horizons; try filling them with bacon, meats, veggies, jams, or spreads, and go all-out with jaffle-style pizza pockets or tuna melts.