communion wafers en

Hosts, which are pieces of consecrated bread in Christian liturgies, that are small, very thin, and wafer-like, typically round with a meaningful Christian symbol stamped upon them. They are created in a special wafer iron. Communion wafers have been common in the western churches for hundreds of years. The first reference to small, round hosts, but not necessarily as thin as wafers, is mentioned in the eighth century; the small, regular hosts were seen as advantageous in eliminating the need to break up a piece of bread that could crumble easily. Eventually the hosts became very thin wafers that were widely adopted in the west. With the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church, other forms of bread have again become increasingly common for consecration as hosts, as a reference to the original, ancient Christian practices.