Paul Ehrlich
Ever wonder how Texas Toast got its name?
For those of you from out-of-town, Texas Toast starts out as a giant slab of bread, about double the size of a regular slice. It’s toasted with butter, and garlic is usually slathered on there. Sometimes, cheese finds its way onto the bread too.
Although the name “Texas Toast” is regional, you can usually find it at most grocery stores. People may assume the name refers to the old saying that “everything is bigger in Texas.” Actually though, the truth is a little more complicated.
Photo: @mikeyerin via Twenty20
There are a few folks claiming to be the original creators of Texas Toast. But most of the stories about the creation of Texas masterpiece involve a chain of restaurants called “The Pig Stand.” These restaurants were all over the state at one point.
One day, a Beaumont-area manager of multiple Pig Stands decided that he needed something new to bring in more customers. So, he ordered some huge slices of bread from the local bakery to make toast for the breakfast crowd. Unfortunately, the bread was so big that it wouldn’t fit in the toaster!
Stuck with a lot of thickly sliced bread, one of the cooks suggested creating huge slices of garlic bread. They called this new creation “Texas Toast” and the name stuck.
That’s not the only story about the creation of Texas masterpiece. Other Pig Stand locations also claim to have created it. Even a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico, claims to have invented the food. We won’t talk about them.
Photo: @sarajordan2993 via Twenty20
You can still find a Pig Stand serving Texas Toast in San Antonio. Their website is www.sanantoniopigstand.com. It’s always good to help a local business, especially in these times. So, you may want to stop in and check out their menu. Right now, they are offering limited seating and social distancing. Also, they offer take-out.
While we may never know for sure how Texas Toast got its name, we do know that it tastes mighty good alongside some barbeque chicken and potato salad. Honestly, that’s good enough for us!
