Cajuns call French toast pain perdu, which is pronounced as pan pair-doo and is the Cajun French term that translates to "lost bread".
The Cajun French term of pain perdu for French Toast comes from the tradition of using day old, stale or lost bread.
Because the bread has dried out and was no longer fit for normal eating, the recipe for making French toast was created to revive the old stale bread by soaking it in a rich egg and milk batter and cooking it.
While Cajun Pain perdu or Cajun French toast does share the basic concept of standard French toast, the Cajun pain perdu version is often soaked in a custard like batter, seasoned with spices like cinnamon and vanilla and is traditionally served with a pour of Steen's cane syrup.
And the Mexicans call their French Toast Torrejas.
Torrejas are the version of French toast that is found in Mexico, especially during the Lenten season.
The Torrejas are a sweet treat that is very similar to that of what we in the United States call French Toast and it's often served on New Years in Mexico.
Torrejas also known as French toast are made by soaking slices of bread in a mixture of some beaten eggs, milk and seasonings like vanilla and cinnamon.
Then they are pan fried until they are golden brown on both sides.
Torrejas and French toast are often served hot with toppings like butter and maple syrup and sometimes fresh fruit.
The Torrejas and French toast can also be made with various breads and even brioche and challah, which are popular choices of bread for Torrejas or French Toast for their rich texture.
To make French toast or Torrejas, first make the custard by whisking eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a shallow dish.
Next soak the bread by dipping the slices of bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides.
Just don't let the bread get soggy, a minute per side is often enough, depending on the bread.
Then you cook the French Toast or Torrejas by melting butter in a skillet over medium heat and place the soaked bread in the hot skillet and cook for around 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Finally top the French toast or Torrejas with butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar and if you want, you can add berries and serve the French toast or Torrejas immediately.
Thicker slices of bread are recommended and even day old bread is good for French Toast or Torrejas, such as brioche and challah, but other breads will work as well.
Just avoid over soaking the bread as it can make the bread fall apart.
And when making Torrejas or French toast, make sure that the skillet is hot enough, where the butter should sizzle before adding the bread, but lower the heat if the bread happens to brown too quickly.