Why do we toast? Where did the tradition come from? And what can we learn from it's origins?
Let's start with the word itself. Toast. Originally from the Latin tostare, which means "to grill," toast became a form of grilled bread to begin. Then, as drinking culture evolved, bread was eventually put into our (usually warm) ales and wines. The final component was the verbal back and forth that ensued when someone was drinking this bread-filled beer, usually including well-wishes for good health.
In a nutshell, we started toasting because our ancestors decided to put breads into their booze and then wish everyone good health in the times to come. But it's even more interesting than that.
This bread people put into their warm broths was referred to as sop. The meaning of sop eventually shifted from the bread to the actual broth. This broth, or sop, was logically our root for the word soup, as well as supper, which was a light meal that typically included consumption of sop, or soup.
If you're interested in even more linguistic insights, check out this great book by Dan Jurafsky called The Language of Food.
Cheers!
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