Eating Muffins

Muffins （松饼） have become more and more popular in England and the USA in the last 10 years. It is very common now for people to have a muffin and a coffee for breakfast. Their popularity （流行） is connected to the massive （大量的） increase （增加） in the number of coffee bars in the UK and America. 
    The muffin itself is a type of cake. They were originally （原始的） an English idea and are made from a basic mixture （混合物） of flour （面粉） and water and sugar. The word "muffin" comes from the French word "moufflet", basically meaning soft bread. Muffins tend to be soft and often have added ingredients （成分） like chocolate bits, blueberries （黑莓） or raisins （葡萄干） . 
    Muffins were very popular in UK in the 19th century （世纪） and were often served with tea. Men would walk the streets, ringing a bell and selling muffins. However in 1840 the ringing of the bells was prohibited by an act of parliament （议会，国会） . The English often used to toast their muffins. 
    American style muffins were developed later. They cook quicker and rise, so tend to be bigger. These are the muffins that are now popular in both the UK and the USA.