The History Of Breakfast Classics

What people eat for breakfast is different around the world and has evolved over the years. What we consider today as the traditional American breakfast has not always been what Americans eat. In this article, we go over the brief history of some of the most iconic breakfast food items you’d expect to find on a menu, the history of how what we eat has changed to what it is today and where to find delicious breakfast in Pompano today.

What People Used to Eat

From the early days of American history, breakfast was a meal of convenience that often included eggs and bread. Advertising was more or less invented in the middle of the 20th century as a way to sell breakfast cereal to working moms. Advertising also helped to promote drinking orange juice for its health benefits.

Coffee has been a major part of the American breakfast scene since the Boston Tea Party. In some ways, drinking coffee instead of tea is a very American decision.

Eggs

Eggs were a staple of breakfast in Ancient Rome. While breakfast fell out of fashion in the Middle Ages, as doctors at the time believed it was gluttonous to eat before dinner, it came back into fashion when a medical writer in 1620 recommended eating breakfast with eggs, bread, and butter. Some people believe that eggs became associated with breakfast because chickens happen to lay eggs in the morning.

Bacon and Breakfast Sausage

A traditional English breakfast for upper-class folks used to include bacon, sausage, and toast. It might also have included fried tomatoes, mushrooms, and smoked herring. (Those in the lower classes ate porridge or oatmeal). Advertising expert Edward Bernays popularized eggs, bacon, and toast as an American breakfast in the 1920s when the Beech-Nut Packing Company hired him to sell their bacon. He got doctors to endorse bacon as a healthy breakfast.

Hash Browns

The first mention of the hash brown comes from 1835 Minnesota when three different recipes for hash potatoes were published in the Minnesota Farmers’ Institute Annual. The word “hash” might come from the French word for chop, “hacher.” From Minnesota, hash browns slowly made their way into the breakfast meals in New York City area hotels in the 1890s.

Granola

The concept of granola started in 1863 when Dr. James Caleb Jackson crumbled up graham flour and baked it. Though he called it Jackson’s “granula,” it is believed to be the first granola made. Then, Kellogg made a “granula” mixture of oats, wheat flour, and cornmeal. It became less popular for a few decades before granola became very popular in the late 1960s.

Breakfast Cereal

Breakfast cereal is thought to originate from “granula.” The hard cereal required you to soak it overnight in order to be able to eat it. Kellogg invented his first version as a digestive aid. In the 1910s, the Quaker Oat Company launched Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice cereals. Then, cereal mascots geared at attracting children, such as Tony the Tiger, began to make their appearances, too. With lots of sugar added and a great deal of marketing prowess, cereal really caught on as a breakfast item.

Parfaits

In France, the French parfait is made with ice cream, not yogurt. It doesn’t have layers, but instead, all of the ingredients are mixed together. It is set in almost a custard. The frozen French version originated in 1894 and included sugar, eggs, and cream. It doesn’t look much like the American version. The American parfait has recognizable layers of fruit and ice cream. In the case of breakfast, parfaits are usually served with yogurt, fruit, and granola instead of ice cream.

Eggs Benedict

The origins of the breakfast classic eggs benedict are highly debated. Stories exist that the popular breakfast item was created first at Delmonico’s Restaurant or at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City in the 19th century. The recipe from Delmonico’s Restaurant was published in Charles Ranhofer’s cookbook in 1894. Today, you can enjoy a variety of eggs benedict dishes at Galuppi’s. Choose from classic, Irish style, veggie versions and more.

Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits and gravy is a classic Southern-inspired dish you can enjoy for breakfast or lunch. Some historians believe that it is possible that biscuits and gravy has its origins back in the Revolutionary War period, though others believe it comes from the Appalachian Mountain region near the end of the 19th century. The calorie-rich dish provided lots of calories for sawmill workers who would need energy to complete their work. Sausage gravy used to be called sawmill gravy.

Pancakes

Historians consider pancakes one of the oldest breakfast foods. There is evidence that the oldest natural mummy ate a pancake as one of his last foods. One reason pancakes became a breakfast food was likely their quick preparation compared to other types of bread. Back when most families had to bake their own loaves of bread for lunch and dinner, it made sense to prioritize something quick in the morning.

French Toast

While most people like to think of French toast as a dish from France, the first French toast-type dish was actually found in a 4th-century Roman cookbook as a crustless white bread saturated in milk and egg and fried before being topped with honey. In the 1600s, French Toast recipes were called “panperdy”,   and published in English cookbooks. This showed that French toast continued to spread throughout Europe.

Crepes

Most people don’t enjoy a plate of fresh-made crepes for an easy weekday breakfast meal. However, crepes are the perfect luxurious meal to enjoy at brunch. One possible origin for crepes comes from the French story where a woman spilled some porridge onto a flat cooking stone back in the 13th century.

Enjoy Breakfast in Pompano Beach at Galuppi’s

There is no doubt about it, breakfast is an important and very tasty part of the American diet. No matter which breakfast dish you choose, you can look forward to something tasty and filling at Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach. Galuppi’s is the perfect spot for a great breakfast or Sunday brunch. If you’re looking for a great, local place to go, contact us today at Galuppi’s.