Melba toast

Melba toast is a very dry, crisp, thinly sliced toast. It is served with soups and salads, or topped with melted cheese. It is named after Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name for Australian opera singer Helen Porter Mitchell, and is thought to date back to 1897, a year when the singer was very ill and this kind of toast became a staple of her diet.

See also:

• Peach Melba