Breakfast sandwich

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A breakfast sandwich in a styrofoam container.

A breakfast sandwich is a sandwich served at breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches typically are made using breakfast meats, breads, eggs and cheese. These sandwiches were typically regional specialties until fast food restaurants began serving breakfast. Because the types of bread common, such as biscuits, bagels, and English muffins were similar in size to a fast food hamburger buns, they made an obvious choice for fast food restaurants. Unlike other breakfast items, they were perfect for the innovation of the drive-through. These sandwiches have also become a staple of many convenience stores, who serve them as take-away items.

[edit] Origins

Breakfast sandwich origins are unclear. Several types of sandwiches appear in areas where the bread was popular. Bagel and English muffin sandwiches in the northern states, biscuits in the southern states. Early breakfast sandwiches made use of items found on the traditional breakfast table. In the South, biscuits were often eaten with tomatoes, known as a 'mater biscuit, or with fried eggs or meat. In the north and Midwest, deli meats, cheeses, or lox might be served on Bagels. Toasted bread was used to create some of the most famous sandwiches, such as the egg sandwich and bacon, often served as a BLT, sandwich. When McDonald's released the Egg McMuffin, breakfast sandwiches moved from diners and delis to the nationwide world of fast food. Hardee's, a southern chain, soon countered McDonald's with a line of biscuit sandwiches. Today, most major fast food chains offer breakfast, and it has become Hardee's primary business. However, most chains featuring regional or ethnic foods have not gotten into breakfast.

[edit] Variations

There are several types of breakfast sandwiches:

A sausage biscuit

Biscuit: This consists of a large, or cat-head, biscuit sliced on which meat, cheese, or eggs are served. Popular biscuits include Sausage biscuit, bacon, tomato, and country ham. Fast food restaurants have put smaller versions of fried chicken fillets on biscuits to create chicken biscuits. Scrambled eggs and/or American cheese are often added.

Bagel: Due to its connection with German and Jewish ethnic groups, Bagels often have foods popular in these communities. Deli meats, Canadian bacon, lox or other smoked fish, and cream cheese are popular on bagel sandwiches.

English muffin: the Egg McMuffin introduced this type of sandwich to the world. English muffins might have the same fillings as either the biscuit or Bagel sandwiches.

Toast: toasted bread is one of the oldest forms of breakfast sandwich. While any number of items might be served on toast, eggs and bacon are the ones most associated with breakfast. Egg sandwiches are often served on untoasted bread as well.

Specialty breads: mostly served by restaurant chains, there are other breakfast sandwiches that do not use one of the common breakfast breads. Burger King uses a croissant to make a breakfast sandwich called the Croissan'Wich, or croissant sandwich, depending on the market. McDonald's offers its traditional biscuit fillings on a sandwich made from maple flavored pancakes called a McGriddle.