Muffin
Individual-sized quickbread baked good, sweet or savory.
A muffin is a type of individual-sized baked good, often a small, sweet quickbread or cake baked in a cup-shaped container. Quickbread muffins originated in North America during the 19th century and are available in both sweet and savory varieties, such as blueberry, chocolate chip, cornbread, and cheese muffins.
- type
- Baked good
- origin
- North America
- first_printed_mention
- 1703 (spelled 'moofin')
- earliest_known_etymology
- Uncertain; possibly from Low German 'Muffen' or Old French 'moufflet'
- common_varieties
- Blueberry, chocolate chip, bran, cornmeal, cheese, poppyseed
- official_state_muffins
- Corn (Massachusetts), Blueberry (Minnesota), Apple (New York)
Lore & Background
The word 'muffin' first appears in print in 1703 as 'moofin', with uncertain origins possibly linked to Low German 'Muffen' (small cake) or Old French 'moufflet' (soft). The muffin-man, a street seller of muffins, is attested in a 1754 poem. Quickbread muffins became common in 19th-century American cookbooks, while yeast-based muffins appeared in older recipes. Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking-School Cook Book included recipes for both quickbread and English muffins.
Reader's Guide
Muffins have evolved from modest 3-inch homemade items with 120–160 calories to large commercial bakery muffins containing 340–630 calories each. Harvard University's Nutrition Source notes that despite appearing healthier than donuts, many commercial muffins are high in refined flour, sodium, added sugar, and fat—up to 40% fat content. The muffin top, the crisp upper part, gained cultural prominence through a 1997 Seinfeld episode. Muffins are sold by bakeries, donut shops, fast food restaurants, coffeehouses, grocery stores, and convenience stores. They are also recognized as official state muffins in Massachusetts (corn), Minnesota (blueberry), and New York (apple).
Did You Know?
- The word 'muffin' first appeared in print in 1703, spelled 'moofin'.
- Poppyseed muffins can cause false positives on drug tests due to trace opium alkaloids.
- A 1997 Seinfeld episode focused on selling only muffin tops.
- McDonald's announced in 2018 plans to sell muffin tops as part of their McCafe breakfast menu.
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