Not one, but two, dishes have been named after the turn-of-the-century opera diva, Dame Nellie Melba. The first dish to acquire her name, Melba toast, dates back to 1897 when Melba stopped in at the London’s Savoy Hotel and ordered several slices of toast which, by mistake, were served to her without butter; Melba so enjoyed the dry, crunchy slices that the owner of the hotel, Cesar Ritz, bestowed her name on them and made them a standard item on his menu. Somewhat strangely, however, Melba never refers to Melba toast in her 1925 autobiography, even though it was well-established in restaurants around the world by then. In that autobiography she does, however, recount how her name became attached to the dessert item known as peach Melba, made by poaching peaches in vanilla syrup and serving them with ice cream and raspberry sauce. According to Dame Melba, the chef at the Savoy Hotel— the same one who had previously served her dry toast—invented the dish and named it peach Melba after she dined at the Savoy in 1904; the chef himself, however, insisted that he had stopped working at the Savoy in 1898, and that he added the dish to the menu at another hotel, the Ritz Carlton, simply because the diva was constantly demanding peaches and ice cream for dessert. The origin of Melba’s own name is clearer: born in Australia as Helen Mitchell, she invented her stage name as a short form of Melbourne. In turn, Australia’s Melbourne was named after Melbourne, England, a place whose original name—mill burn—means mill river.
This incredibly thin and dry toast, often served without butter or with a sparing amount of melted butter delicately brushed on top, is famously known as Melba toast. It is named after the renowned singer Nellie Melba, who is said to have preferred this type of toast in her diet. The crispy and light texture of Melba toast makes it an ideal accompaniment to various spreads and toppings, making it a popular choice in the culinary world.