When you go on holiday to London or England in general, an English breakfast is a must. Although far from Italian (and Mediterranean in general), it is no less plentiful and satisfying.
We usually prefer the sweet, while the English breakfast offers savory foods to start the day with the right energy: eggs, bacon, sausages, black pudding, beans, toast, mushrooms and tomatoes are ingredients not to be missed. It’s time to put aside the croissant and cappuccino to discover together the history of the most famous traditional English breakfast in the world.
Origins of the traditional English breakfast
A full English breakfast, the so-called full English breakfast, has very ancient roots. In fact, it was born in the Middle Ages and was a peasant food: healthy, filling, which allowed them to endure exhausting days of working in the fields or with cattle. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
At that time, the British ate only two meals a day: breakfast and dinner. The former included bread and cheese, while meat and stew were preferred for dinner. Over time, all the other ingredients that are still consumed today were added. This meal was also called the wedding breakfast because weddings were celebrated before the age of 12 and were celebrated by eating these dishes together.
The typical English breakfast is considered a popular traditional meal in the UK today, but its popularity only came during the Victorian era. With the strengthening of the national identity of the country, the gastronomic culture and the idea of food as a moment of fun were also strengthened. Among the wealthiest classes, breakfast has become an opportunity to impress your guests with tables lined with local delicacies and china sets adorned with typical English tea set patterns. However, the moment of breakfast remained democratic and was not limited to the more affluent classes. This is because the foods consumed at the English breakfast remained the same for everyone, regardless of their social class.
What is a typical English breakfast?
But in practice, what do the British eat for breakfast? The traditional English breakfast today is an institution and includes various foods, mostly salted and fried, which is why it is also called fried. Being a complete meal, rather than a completely healthy and quick breakfast that needs to be prepared every day, the British prefer to take this breakfast calmly (also for reasons of time and comfort) on weekends.
The two main ingredients are eggs and bacon, followed by beans, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, black pudding and toast. There are also those who prefer – in addition to the ingredients mentioned above – a good porridge, the typical English breakfast oatmeal. All this is accompanied by some simple drinks: fruit juices, a cup of tea – mostly an English breakfast such as Queen Elizabeth and coffee.
The main ingredients of a typical English breakfast are:
– eggs: fried, boiled, scrambled or fried
– bacon: some crispy slices can’t be missing
– sausages: pork, otherwise also chicken or turkey
– beans: stewed with tomato sauce (baked beans)
– tomatoes: fried or grilled
– mushrooms: fried or grilled
– potato pancakes (potato pancakes)
– slices of bread: toasted and/or buttered
– black pudding: typical black pudding with pork and spices.
– oatmeal
How to make a traditional English breakfast at home
This breakfast can be easily enjoyed in pubs and restaurants across the UK, but can also be perfectly prepared at home. Let’s see what you need and how to cook a homemade English breakfast step by step.
Ingredients:
– 2 eggs
– 2 slices of bacon
– 2 slices of white bread
– 1 small sausage
– 1 tomato
– 100 g beans
– butter to taste
– garlic to taste
Let’s start by preparing the bacon: fry it in a non-stick pan, sprinkled with oil, and turn it over once on both sides. When the bacon becomes crispy, we can remove it from the pan. Now it’s the turn of the sausage, which we fry in the same pan. Set aside after cooking. Then take a tomato, cut it in half and fry in oil with the flat side down. The tomatoes will be ready when a light crust forms on top. Now let’s prepare the mushrooms, fry them and add a pinch of salt and a head of garlic. When everything is ready, it’s time for the eggs. We can cook them according to our taste: scrambled, fried, boiled or fried.
The last part of the English breakfast recipe is about bread and beans. The bread is easy to bake in the toaster or in just a few minutes in a skillet on both sides. On the other hand, for beans, if possible, go for the Heinz brand most commonly used for English breakfasts. They are already stewed with tomato sauce in advance and you just need to put them in the same pan as the previous ingredients for a few minutes. It remains only to serve and enjoy this delicious side dish. Enjoy!
Source: Elle