At weddings, formal dinners, New Year’s celebrations, and other social gatherings, it’s expected that someone will raise a glass and propose a toast (or perhaps many). The words might express a wish for good health or good luck, or celebrate a graduation, a professional achievement, the birth of a child, or any other happy event. Toasts can also honor the memory of friends and loved ones or serve as symbols of peace, friendship, and goodwill.
But what does this common custom have to do with toast, as in toasted bread? Though the origin of the English word “toast” for the drinking ritual is rather convoluted, most historians and etymologists believe it relates to adding toasted, spiced bread to a beverage, especially wine. This may have helped flavor the drink or lessened its bitterness or acidity, and the practice was well documented in 16th- and 17th-century England (it even shows up in Shakespeare's plays).
According to Merriam-Webster, “toast” (referring to words used to honor someone’s good health or fortune) was first documented around the late 1600s. The most common explanation is that the association comes from honoring or praising someone by raising a glass of wine (possibly containing bread) to them. The person being honored (often a beautiful, admired woman) came to be described as the “toast,” and so did the words themselves. Considered another way, the subject of the toast was being praised for figuratively adding spice or flavor, just as the bread imparted a better taste to the wine.
Regardless of the precise origins of the term “toast,” the custom of raising a glass dates back much further, as evidenced by references in Homer's The Odyssey and the Ancient Roman custom of drinking to the emperor before every meal. The clinking of glasses, though a somewhat later custom, also has murky origins, with some suggesting that this started as a gesture of goodwill and mutual assurance: by sloshing the drinks together, the participants guaranteed that no one would be poisoned. Alternatively, the audible “clink” of glasses could simply have come about to ensure that all five senses are engaged during the activity of drinking: sound, smell, touch, sight, and, of course, taste.
Interestingly, the use of “toast” to refer to someone who’s in trouble or somehow doomed (as in, “I’ll be toast if my boss finds out I was late again!”), is a relatively recent addition to the English lexicon, having been popularized by the 1984 film Ghostbusters.
Cheers, L’Chaim, Prost, Salud, Sláinte, Kanpai:
- Referring to the food, the word “toast” comes from the Old French verb toster (to roast or grill) and the Latin tostus (grilled, burnt).
- In some situations, the order of toasts is relatively formal and fixed. Many weddings feature toasts from the father of the bride, the best man, the maid of honor, and the groom, in that order, although modern weddings may also feature toasts from the bride and/or other members of the wedding party.
- The Spanish-derived word “tapas,” which refers to small plates or hors d'oeuvres, may also have an origin relating to both food and drink. The word may reference an old custom in which Andalusian tavernkeepers placed a slice of bread (or possibly meat or cheese) on top of a cup to protect the beverage, usually sweet sherry, from dust or fruit flies. Thus, “tapas” may come from the Spanish verb tapar, meaning “to cover."