What is usually eaten in England for breakfast. Traditional English breakfast

Speaking about the English breakfast, it is worth mentioning that, depending on personal preferences, national and regional traditions, and an important factor called “the way the stars have formed”, the first meal of the average inhabitant of Foggy Albion can be completely different. For someone in the morning, a cup of coffee and a couple of crackers is enough, there are gourmets who are accustomed to cappuccino and croissants, and others unpretentiously manage with oatmeal fast food, scrambled eggs and aromatic tea, some require a full meal. A real English breakfast is more of a meal for last group of people.

However, this is probably not the place to start. Let's remember that the UK is a completely island nation. This geographical feature is directly related to the country's climate - fickle, changeable and mostly cold, and it is this factor that determines the fact that the British diet usually includes hearty, high-calorie and solid foods that warm the body and supply it with energy. In this one should look for the roots of the traditional English breakfast - plentiful and very satisfying.

Maybe in order to compensate for the variability of the weather, the British are looking for stability in their own traditions and habits. British cuisine is no exception - it is just as subject to the desire of the British to adhere to the established order. Formed many centuries ago, the concept of an English breakfast remains constant and unchanged.

So, the famous British "brand" invariably includes a set of certain dishes that are served at the table at the same time, amazing the size of the portion. The tradition of preparing such food for the first meal arose and gained particular popularity during Victorian England, in the 19th century. The aristocracy began the day with a hearty breakfast, which included a wide variety of dishes, took far from five minutes of time and was accompanied by a slow drink of tea or coffee. Gradually, the morning meal turned into a ritual that the nobility lazily indulged in before starting a long lazy day.

Pheasant legs, figs, various marmalades, black pudding, baked halibut and many other delicacies - that's what the rich English breakfast consisted of in the 19th century. The tradition became so popular that even laborers and farmers could not stay away. Of course, the composition of their English breakfast was qualitatively different, but the quantitative idea remained - and simple people before the start of your day, difficult and filled physical work, also acquired the habit of opening the morning with a hearty meal.

Over time and decades, the English breakfast has become a kind of hallmark of the UK - and now most hotels, restaurants and cafes offer their guests a luxurious treat, which, as a rule, remains in the memory of foreigners for a long time. Maybe to compensate for the unpredictability of the weather, the British strictly observe their traditions, they are unbreakable and stable, and breakfast is one of the culinary pillars that does not change and is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

However, in fairness, it should be noted that if in the past such a meal was typical in so many families, at present not so many Englishmen adhere to the described tradition in full. It is said that today no more than 1% of the population eat breakfast in this way within the walls of their home, however, as soon as it comes to food outside the territory of their own kitchen, the figure increases significantly. The habit of eating in restaurants and cafes is quite common among the British, and already here people often prefer a traditional breakfast, which includes a certain set of dishes.

Contrary to general delusion, oatmeal, although a fairly popular product among the inhabitants of the UK, does not necessarily appear on the table in the morning.

Well, putting the last accents, we can mention that, again, contrary to the general misconception, oatmeal, although it is a fairly popular product among the inhabitants of the UK, does not necessarily appear on the table in the morning. English breakfast includes a lot different dishes, but it just does not offer this porridge.

What does an English breakfast consist of:

- bacon;
- pork sausages in a natural casing;
— fresh tomatoes;
- eggs;
- fish fillet;
- white beans stewed tomato sauce;
- toast or small wheat buns;
- Tea, coffee, orange juice.

If you open an article about an English breakfast in any of the many glossy publications, you will most likely find instructions that require the use of a dozen different pans and hundreds of different bowls. Do not open glossy magazines, use logic. And one single frying pan.

Step 1 - Bacon

So, for starters, we take a large and reliable frying pan, put it on the fire, warm it up well. In the meantime, take the bacon out of the fridge and cut into thin pieces. If you bought pre-cut bacon, you should cut the long strips into several pieces - of course, there will be less aesthetics in this, but eating, for sure, will become more convenient.
Put the bacon in a preheated skillet and fry over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan and wrap in disposable paper towels. After the excess fat is absorbed, we transfer it to a large beautiful plate in which breakfast is planned to be served.

Step 2 - sausages

In the fat that the bacon gave out, fry pork sausages in a natural casing. They should be golden brown, crispy and hot. We remove from the pan. Place carefully next to the bacon.
To prevent possible bursting of the casing of sausages, you can make several cuts before frying.

Step 3 - Tomatoes

Washed and dried tomatoes cut in half. We spread it cut down on the same pan and the same fat. Thoroughly fry until a rich dark color, turn over to the other side and keep in the pan for another minute. When ready, transfer to a plate.

Sometimes a few lightly fried champignons are added to the company with tomatoes. This is not a mandatory component, however, often found in many restaurants. If you're a mushroom lover, add a couple to your English breakfast - they won't hurt.

Step 4 - eggs

Eggs for breakfast in the UK are most often served in the form of scrambled eggs, the so-called "scrambled eggs". To do this, we take out a couple of eggs from the refrigerator (taking into account the fact that a rustic product with bright orange yolks will look more elegant and festive on the table than its factory counterpart). Break the eggs into a bowl, salt and mix with a fork or whisk until smooth. You do not need to beat, you just need to achieve a uniform mixing of the yolk with the protein.

Pour the resulting mixture into a frying pan (still the same, the first one, which is still on the stove). Fire - medium, in your hands you have a whisk, spatula or fork. Fry the eggs, stirring constantly. Approximately in the middle of the process, it is worth adding a small piece butter- so the taste of chatterbox will be richer.
On a plate with previously fried bacon, sausages and tomatoes, lay out an airy gentle scrambler that melts on the tongue and leaves a light creamy aftertaste.

Step 5 - Fish

When planning to cook an English breakfast, you should be puzzled by finding the right fish. For the British, this is usually flounder, dory or saltfish. In general, any fillet with a discreet, neutral flavor will do. Wash the fish, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Without flour and breading, put on a frying pan. You may not have enough fat left after frying the bacon by this point - add a little vegetable oil. In addition, you can put a small piece of butter in the pan - both the smell and the taste of the fish will be fantastic.

The fillet must be fried on both sides over low heat for several minutes. It should not become fried or ruddy, try to leave it light, white, slightly poached. Do not overdry, but warm well. We put a soft fish piece, enveloping and affectionate, on a separate plate. Sprinkle with additional freshly ground black pepper. Nearby we attach a fresh lemon cut into several slices.

Step 6 - Beans

Traditional white beans in tomato sauce are rarely cooked by the British at home on their own. Most often, ready-made canned food is bought in the nearest supermarket. However, if you are a fan of cooking all your food at home, the beans should be boiled until soft the day before, and then season with tomato sauce, add your favorite spices and stew a little. In the morning, all that remains is to reheat the beans and serve to the table along with the rest of the ingredients. Bright, rich and slightly brutal, it, oddly enough, fits quite organically into Friendly team English breakfast.

Step 7 - Bread

English breakfast involves the participation of dried ruddy toast or fresh buns, cut in half and slightly warmed up in a dry frying pan. The bread is served with salted butter and orange marmalade (which is essentially a jam made with citrus fruits, sugar and a dash of whiskey).

Step 8 - tea, coffee

Well, and drinks. Do not believe the common misconception that the British drink only tea with milk almost around the clock. Depending on the taste preferences, the accompaniment can be coffee, and orange juice, beloved by many, and even cocoa. At the same time, of course, it is worth recognizing that a large number of British people fill cups with hot milk for breakfast, and then add strong freshly brewed black tea there.

Have a nice breakfast delicious scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, hearty beans and tender sausages!

The traditions of England are perhaps one of the most indestructible. Phenomena such as the Queen of Great Britain, the double-decker bus, the famous Big Ben and the no less famous and magnificent Thames are familiar to many. All this causes a close associative chain associated with this country. English breakfast is another unshakable tradition.

The birth of a tradition

When and how this ritual originated - you will learn from the article. And also what lies on the morning dish of every conservative Englishman who respects and steadily follows the traditions of his country. You might say that you already know what the British prefer to eat in the morning. After all, everyone knows the famous phrase: "Oatmeal, sir!". Tea and an English breakfast of oatmeal is what many people assume is a British tradition. And such an assumption turns out to be fundamentally wrong.

And the lords

This breakfast appeared during the reign of the prim and strict Queen Victoria. Wealthy lords and their households did not gather at the morning table too early. Appeared for a meal in decent shape: putting in order their hair, appearance and clothes. The traditional English breakfast ended closer to dinner and therefore was often supplemented with poultry, fish and fruit. But after having a hearty breakfast, the aristocrats went on business and felt cheerful throughout the day, until dinner.

And workers with farmers

Potatoes, bacon, bread, blood sausage, fried eggs, beans and sausages were included in the English breakfast menu not only for the aristocratic nobility, but also for the simpler sections of the population of Foggy Albion. For workers, such a hearty and plentiful meal in the morning helped to cope with considerable physical activity which were often an integral part of their labor activity. There was nowhere and no time to dine, and the next meal began only in the evening within the walls of their native dwelling.

Popularization of the tradition

After the end of the First World War, full English breakfasts began to be served in inexpensive hotels. Today, you can enjoy a traditional English breakfast in almost any hotel. For tourists who are fond of English traditions, there is always the opportunity to taste it.

What does it look like today, which has become traditional and then famous English breakfast, which is one of business cards Great Britain? Tradition obliges to fill the breakfast plate with the following dishes:

• Chicken eggs - two pieces. They are fried most often in the variant of fried eggs, that is, without destroying the yolk. It is allowed to serve an omelet or just boiled eggs.
• English bangers sausages in a natural casing, carefully fried to a crispy, very dark crust.
• Thin strips of bacon - as well as sausages, fried to a crisp.
• Tomatoes - they can be to choose from: canned and fresh. They are grilled.
• Boiled beans poached in tomato sauce.
• Champignons - fried in in large numbers vegetable oil.
• Bread toast with butter.

English breakfast stiff Englishmen prefer to drink freshly brewed tea. There are, as well as everywhere, lovers of morning coffee and fans of orange juice.

Modern breakfast

However, such a full and satisfying version of the morning meal appears less and less in traditional English families. Approximately one or two percent of the entire population of foggy Albion steadily follow the tradition. The rest of the country's inhabitants have long switched to faster and easier-to-cook variations. Cereals, muesli, fruit smoothies and yoghurts have become a common English breakfast. The work of the British no longer takes so much energy, but, like in any country, it is becoming less and less costly in terms of kilocalories. Therefore, hearty foods fried in a large amount of vegetable oil fade into the background, giving way to healthier and less high-calorie foods.

Very simple recipe

Do you want to find yourself in the Victorian era? Then cook your own English breakfast. Required Ingredients for two servings:

• four eggs;
• four slices of bacon;
• sausages - also four things;
• a large can of canned beans in a tomato - about four hundred grams;
• fresh champignons in the amount of six pieces;
• tomato - one piece;
• four slices of toast bread;
• butter.

Step by step cooking technology

1. Heat up a frying pan with vegetable oil. Fry bacon strips and sausages in it. We bring the bacon to golden brown, and fry the sausages to a crispy brown hue.
2. Divide into serving bowls of two.
3. We chop the mushrooms into slices and fry them in hot butter. Sprinkle salt as needed.
4. In the same bowl, fry two parts of one tomato (cut down). Don't get too carried away with frying it. Tomato, like champignons, should have a golden brown color.
5. Divide the products equally, put to the bacon and sausages.
6. In the same skillet, fry the eggs in a little butter. Divide into serving bowls already filled with the previous ingredients. Do not forget to salt the fried eggs, if necessary, season with pepper.
7. Heat the beans in the tomato sauce in a saucepan. Divide into bowls.
8. Next up is bread toast. They can be fried: either with a toaster or in a frying pan.
9. In total, in each plate you should have: beans, scrambled eggs (2 eggs per serving), bacon and sausages. Also do not forget about champignons and toast.
10. The traditional breakfast of the inhabitants of foggy Albion should be served in a duet with tea or coffee.

If this breakfast option still seems too unhealthy for you, you can replace it with toast with jam and orange juice.

In the minds of many, an English breakfast is associated with famous phrase from the film: "Oatmeal, sir!", which was pronounced by the butler Berimor, putting a modest portion of porridge on Sherlock Holmes's plate. Ever since this phrase was first heard on TV screens, the English breakfast in the eyes of the Russian viewer has become small and monotonous, to match those who like to sit on long and tasteless diets. It's time to debunk this myth.

The inhabitants of foggy Albion are very careful about their traditions, including for many centuries maintaining their adherence to the traditional English breakfast. The British are really not the kind of people who like change, especially in their usual diet, so it is very difficult for new restaurant trends to take root in their conservative country.

Although not only in Russia there is an idea that the British do not eat up, eating a mini-portion of the usual oatmeal before work. European neighbors, the French, often joke that the British work as cooks in hell and, in order not to die of hunger, you have to return to earth three times a day.

In fact, the inhabitants of foggy Albion eat according to the saying: "Breakfast like a king, and dine like a beggar!" Therefore, the French jokes about the morning meal are clearly not true.

A thousand calories

Try one day to ask a few English people out of curiosity what they love most about their country, and you will definitely be surprised to hear a joyful and confident answer: “English breakfast!”.

The morning meal in the UK is always very nutritious. Traditionally, its time falls on 7-8 o'clock in the morning, but it usually starts in bed with a cup of tea.

Many English people always have a variety of packs of corn flakes or muesli in their kitchen cabinet or on the refrigerator, which they can snack on in a hurry, pouring a solid portion of milk, but most often they go to start their day in a cafe.

Often on the signs of different establishments you will find an intriguing phrase: “Full English Breakfast” (“full English breakfast”). This means that there you will be served a very high-calorie and satisfying dish, consisting of fried bacon, scrambled eggs or fried eggs, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, sausage or sausage, fried beans in tomato sauce, as well as ruddy toasts with jam with tea or coffee. Sometimes, instead of jam, they will bring marmalade, which in England is both crumbly, hard, and jelly-like, which is familiar to us.

A traditional English breakfast is about 1000 calories and saturates with energy and strength for the whole day.

Victorian breakfasts

The English wonderful tradition of tasty, satisfying and varied breakfast came from the 19th century, when the aristocratic and wealthy families of the Victorian era preferred to eat the most exquisite products in the morning. Often on their tables you could find bacon fried in honey, delicacy ham, sausages from different counties of the country, as well as marmalade, jelly and fruit as a dessert. Traditionally, every morning the whole family gathered at one large table, discussing the upcoming business for the day under the rustle of fresh newspapers.

The poorer segments of the English population also fell in love with hearty and large portions for breakfast, because this way you could get enough for the whole day and not work in the factory to the sound of a rumbling belly. Farmers could confidently go out into the field, doing hard physical work on the land all day long and without feeling hungry. The English breakfast of the middle and lower classes of those times was very similar to modern version, so loved by all of England - with scrambled eggs, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and bread.

Nowadays, the inhabitants of foggy Albion do not always have time to prepare such a varied and hearty classic English breakfast for themselves, so not everyone follows the tradition every day. Business Englishmen, who are always mindful of their time, rarely have a whole morning to cook and prefer to have a cup of tea or coffee with a sandwich. But on weekends, many people already find time to cook the usual English breakfast and sit down at the table with the whole family. What could be better than such a simple tradition that unites the whole family in a cozy narrow circle at the same table every weekend?

Types of English breakfast

You will definitely be surprised when you notice that in different parts of the UK the traditional classic English breakfast is served in completely different ways or supplemented with some new delicacies.

In Scotland, along with the usual breakfast, you will be served potato pancakes, black pudding and oat cakes.

In Ireland, only one additional dish called "white pudding" is added to the classic version of the English breakfast, which is far from being a dessert, but a fresh pork sausage and cereals. It tastes very similar to black pudding, but due to the lack of blood it has White color giving the dish its unusual name.

In Wales they serve unusual dish from real algae, which are first boiled for a long time to a state of puree. Eggs, bacon and shellfish are added to the resulting mass of seaweed, and then wrapped in oatmeal.

In Cornwall, in the south of Great Britain, there is a so-called "Cornish breakfast", which includes roughly the same ingredients as standard traditional English: bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, bread, pork sausage and potato pancakes or fried potatoes .

Breakfast drinks are usually served with coffee or tea, but if an Englishman chooses tea, then most likely he will drink it only with milk. Especially for tourists, a thrush filled to the brim is brought to the usual cup of tea, leaving the choice to the visitor of the establishment.

Morning at the hotel

In English hotels and hotels, breakfast time usually comes at 8-9 in the morning. If you book a room for yourself, then almost everywhere breakfast will be included in the cost of the night - the mark "Bed and Breakfast" literally translates as "bed and breakfast".

If you are staying at a hotel, it will be difficult for you to pass by an English breakfast, so you will definitely find the strength to wake up and serve seven different dishes included in the standard menu on your plates early in the morning. So, the traditional breakfast at the hotel looks like this: a couple of fried sausages, fried bacon with a crispy crust, two or three fresh or pickled tomatoes, poured with fried bacon oil, fried mushrooms, a serving of white beans with tomato, fried eggs made from two eggs and two - three fresh crispy toast with butter.

In some hotels, in addition to classic English, there is a continental breakfast, which includes ham, cheese, bread, cereals, cereals and muesli. Service usually takes place in the form of a buffet, where everyone can come up, taking the necessary utensils and a snow-white plate, so that in a moment they can start serving hearty meals. Drinks to choose from are usually coffee, tea or orange juice. If you're lucky, the breakfast menu will include pancakes with strawberry jam or a glass of milk with corn flakes, in addition to a traditional English breakfast.

A traditional English breakfast or full English breakfast is the same symbol of Great Britain as a red double-decker bus, the Thames or Big Ben. Typically, such a breakfast includes scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs, fried sausages or bacon slices, tomatoes, white beans in a sauce, usually Heinz brand, toast with butter and jam, black pudding and fried mushrooms. From drinks, the British prefer orange juice, coffee or tea with milk. All the components of such a breakfast are very satisfying, nutritious and high-calorie. Modern Britons rarely prepare such a hearty breakfast, but still consider a dish from such a set of products to be their national treasure.

The custom to start the day with such a hearty, tasty and varied breakfast originated and became widespread in the 19th century, during the Victorian era. It was then that in English aristocratic families the tradition of starting the day with a rich meal turned into a whole ritual, which was certainly accompanied by a cup of tea with milk or coffee with sugar. Sometimes such a breakfast, in addition to other components already listed earlier, included fruits, figs, pheasant legs, kidneys, halibut or hake.

The habit of having a hearty breakfast also appealed to ordinary Britons. Workers and farmers, like no one else, needed high-calorie and nutritious food in the morning, which gave them strength for a long day at work. Their breakfast was not as varied, but beans, potatoes, bread, bacon, sausages or black pudding and eggs were all included in the traditional full English breakfast of the working class.

In addition to the classic English breakfast, known throughout the world, there are many regional variations that depend on the range of products available to residents. different parts countries. For example, a “Scottish breakfast” is usually accompanied by hash browns or national dish- haggis. In Ireland, not only black pudding is served for breakfast, but also white pudding - a sausage made from cereals and pork, and a Welsh breakfast includes laverbread - seaweed bread, which is not very popular in other places.

Today, residents of the UK, as before, consider full English Breakfast one of the main symbols of their country. However, according to social surveys, only 1% of the British population cooks such a breakfast every day! Whereas in the 50s of the last century, the traditional breakfast was daily on the table for more than half of the country's inhabitants. Modern British people prefer to eat less calorie, but more healthy food for breakfast, such as cereal with milk, muesli, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt or fruit smoothies.

Finding and trying a classic full English Breakfast is not that hard. It is served in many hotels in England, cooked in pubs and traditional restaurants. In Britain, it is believed that a hearty traditional breakfast is the best remedy from a hangover, so it is especially popular on Saturday mornings after a stormy Friday night.

Great Britain, as an island state, has always existed apart from others European countries. Thanks to this, its population is distinguished by conservatism and adherence to centuries-old traditions. This applies to lifestyle and even food.

The traditional English breakfast, which most Europeans learned about after the adaptation of A. K. Doyle's novels, is only confirmation of this. How did his menu come about and why does it include certain ingredients?

Excursion into history

Classic English breakfast consists of:

• fried eggs;
• crispy bacon;
• fried thin sausages / bengers sausages;
• tomatoes (fresh, baked);
• stewed white beans (sometimes fried mushrooms);
• toasted toast;
• oils;
• jam;
• pudding (white or black)

All ingredients are neatly laid out on a large plate, since great attention is paid to serving the dish. Eating in the morning is supplemented with drinks - orange juice, or coffee.

Such a set of products is by no means accidental, it is justified by historical and geographical factors. Its foundation was laid in the Victorian era. At that time, the British worked hard, moved mostly on foot, so it was necessary to have breakfast in such a way as to get an energy boost for the whole day. And withstand the cold and humid climate islands allowed only hot and hearty food.

That is why the British breakfast was high-calorie, nutritious and consisted mainly of foods that could be boiled, heated / fried. Although the tables of the aristocrats were filled with a variety of dishes (on them in the morning you could see pheasant legs, baked halibut, sausages, smoked honey bacon, fresh fruit and marmalade), ordinary workers breakfasted much more modestly. Their morning meal consisted of available products - eggs, bread, sausages.