Full English breakfast
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A Full English breakfast, or fry-up, is a traditional breakfast meal that originated in England and is popular throughout the United Kingdom. Fry-ups are no longer an everyday occurrence in most British households although they occupy an important place in the English concept of the morning meal and are the predominant business of many greasy spoon cafés as well as generally being offered to tourists as traditional fare in hotels, guest houses and bed-and-breakfasts.
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[edit] Tradition
While weekday breakfasts in Britain often consist of a brief meal of cereal and/or toast, the fry-up is commonly eaten in a leisurely fashion on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Many cafes and supermarkets now serve the fry-up as an "all-day breakfast" which is more often eaten as a hearty lunch. Being reasonably oily and fatty, it is regarded by an increasing number of health-conscious British people as an occasional treat, but such is the passion for a good fry-up that it has among many been the prime reason for declaring the importance of having "everything in moderation".
Whether the fry-up is accompanied by orange juice and an abundant supply of tea or coffee, or only bacon, eggs, and toast, it is regarded as a ritual comfort and a wholly satisfying start to a day of work or leisure.
The ingredients of a fry-up vary according to region and taste. At its heart, the meal consists of bacon and eggs, but to earn the title of a "Full English" a number of other ingredients are expected.
The bacon and eggs are traditionally fried, but grilled bacon and poached or scrambled eggs may be offered as alternatives. Some of the additional ingredients that might be offered as part of a Full English breakfast include:
- toast, fried bread ("fried slice"), or bread and butter
- sausages
- fried, grilled or tinned tomatoes
- fried mushrooms
- black pudding (a little less popular in contemporary times and in the south, but usually available)
- baked beans (reasonably standard in café breakfasts, but not in more upmarket establishments)
- possibly sautéd potatoes (uncommon), hash browns (American in origin) or fried leftover mashed potatoes. Bubble and squeak (originally a way to use up leftover vegetables from the day before's main meals) has become a breakfast feature in its own right in some parts of England
- condiments such as brown sauce (usually HP Sauce brand) and ketchup (sometimes called "red sauce" or tomato sauce)
When an English breakfast is ordered to contain everything available, it is often referred to as a "Full Monty", and often attributed to Field Marshal Montgomery, the prominent British military officer of World War II.
There are many traditional cafés in Britain that specialise in serving breakfast meals throughout the day. The Full English breakfast may therefore be listed as the "all day breakfast". Such cafés (also called "caffs" or "greasy spoons") are typically frequented by construction workers working in the local area, or passing lorry drivers. As a consequence the very strong tea that is often served in such establishments is colloquially known as "builder's tea".
[edit] Variants
In English hotels and bed and breakfast establishments, a Full English breakfast might include additional courses such as cereal, porridge, kippers, toast and jam or marmalade, kedgeree, or devilled kidneys. Fruit juice and dry cereal were added to the English breakfast after 1950. The term "Full English" is used to differentiate between the larger multiple course breakfast, and the simpler "continental breakfast" of tea, coffee and fruit juices, with croissants or pastries. Coffee at breakfast is a Continental tradition introduced through hotel fare.
The breakfast is not unique to England; Scottish, Welsh and Irish breakfasts share many characteristics and ingredients. In Scotland, a square "sliced sausage" (or "Lorne sausage") in the form of a patty slice, fried sliced haggis, potato scones and oatcakes might be served; in Ulster there might be soda farls and potato farls; while elsewhere in Ireland there might be white pudding and soda bread. Traditional Welsh breakfasts include laverbread, a seaweed purée which is mixed with oatmeal, formed into patties and fried in bacon fat.
Due to the increase in popularity of vegetarianism over recent years, some proprietors may offer vegetarian versions of the Full English, using Quorn or various other substitutes instead of their meat counterparts and more often simply serving the breakfast without the meat components.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- eggbaconchipsandbeans - reviews of cafés serving traditional English fry-ups and variations
- The London Review of Breakfasts - writing and reviews about full English breakfasts in London
