Wherever you go or whenever you see a restaurant, you may probably find “Full English Breakfast” or “Fish and Chips” on display. Even British foods are criticised a lot, yet those British foods are very popular among destination restaurants.
When we said “Full English Breakfast”, it means the traditional breakfast that is being served in the United Kingdom. If your culture may have various breakfast options and English people also got that kind of options. But this heavy traditional breakfast is the authentic English way of eating in the morning. As English people love to maintain traditions, they have a signature breakfast combination tradition as anything else.
In the city where I grew up, there is an iconic hotel named after Queen Victoria the Great. When I passed by this hotel, I always see “Full English Breakfast” and the price was in British pounds. So, I wanted to know what it is and why it’s special. So I could try out English breakfast for the first time when I was 17. So I thought to write about Full English Breakfast to share the story of that particular dining style and to mark my British heritage on my website.
And I am sorry to tell my friends who eat halal foods or kosher foods will not be able to enjoy a Full English Breakfast ever in their lifetime. Authentic Full English Breakfast cannot be prepared halal or kosher.
The English breakfast has a lengthy history, beginning in the 14th or 15th century with the Landed Gentry and their magnificent hunt breakfasts, before being embraced by middle and upper-class Victorians who developed the practice into an art form. The Edwardians then standardised the components, giving us the English breakfast that we usually consume today, and thereby creating a fully national breakfast ritual as well as a worldwide known image of British cuisine.
Let’s go through the main ingredients of Full English Breakfast.
The meat
Bacon and Sausages are the best combinations for the meat part. Simple pork sausages like banger sausages are ideal for English breakfast. Conventional streaky bacon or Back bacon (Irish bacon) also makes the meat portion more filled. Bacon and Sausages are traditionally made out of pork would make this unavailable for some selective communities. Still, you can go with alternatives and yet it is not authentic.
The black pudding
Even though I didn’t find this online, My Grandma (The daughter of a Scottish woman) and a few other native British people claimed that English Breakfast isn’t perfect without Black Pudding and it is essential to arrange English Breakfast. Black pudding is made out of pork blood, pork fat, oats and some spices. In a traditional English home, black pudding is essentially made with pork and yet you can make it with beef to serve pork-forbidden communities.
Beans
Baked beans are often canned as it gives the perfect finish. However, you can make it at home as well. Heinz® is the most popular brand for getting it done authentically. So, the canned baked beans are one of the essentials of English Breakfast.
Tomatoes
Grilled or Fried tomatoes are the best to make sure it looks good. No salad vibe should be visible in English Breakfast.
Bread
Bread is also a big deal here. Butter-up bread won’t do the job on presentation. It should be fried bread and not toast. American-style brown toasted bread would do the job instead of traditionally pan-fried bread in beacon touch.
The Egg
Single-side pan-fried egg with still running york would the best bet. Maybe two or three would be great. But, you may limit it to one.
These are the essential ingredients to make a Traditional English Breakfast. Most meat and fat products are made with pork traditionally and can be used beef or lamb as an alternative and it won’t give the authenticity or the right taste.
Essential condiments
As the upper class of English society drink tea instead of coffee, a strong milked cup of tea should be a part of English Breakfast. Coffee also would be a perfect alternative and yet I cannot see it as a perfect match. And a bottle of ketchup, marmite or/and marmalade can be pared as add-ons
In addition
Cold-smoked Kippers, Fried kidneys, Tomatoes and potatoes can be added as optional ingredients.
