The History Behind America’s Favorite Meal: Brunch
Love it or hate it, brunch has been a time-honored tradition since the 1890s, replacing breakfast and lunch. On Mother’s Day, though, it hasn’t always been Belgian waffles and huevos rancheros. Where was brunch first created? Why are Bloody Marys so popular? What would the ideal brunch menu be? Let’s take a quick look at brunch’s history.
How Were the First Brunches?
Food historians are divided on what the exact table spread might have looked like at an old-fashioned brunch. Many people believe that the first brunches were breakfasts in England following a hunt, which included a feast of meats, eggs, stews, and fruits.
Others claim that because they fasted before church in the early morning, the Catholics were the ones who first had a late-morning brunch. Chicago, the halfway point on transcontinental train routes taken by famous people and the wealthy elite, is where Brunch first appeared in the United States. Arriving travelers were looking for an elegant late-morning lunch.
Who Gave It the Name “Brunch”?
Breakfast and lunch were combined to form the word “brunch,” which was first used in literature in 1895 by author Guy Beringer. He advocated for a Sunday lunch that was lighter than the typical, conventional Sunday supper in an article titled “Brunch: A Plea.”
”Brunch is cheerful, sociable, and inciting,” Beringer said. “It will place you in a good mood, it makes you content with yourself and your loved ones, and it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” His piece was published in the renowned magazine Punch in 1896, and the concept quickly gained popularity. By the 1920s, it had reached American soil.
Today’s Brunch
Brunches today are a result of the new culture that emerged in the 1980s. Expensive brunch buffets were introduced in the era of conspicuous consumerism, harkening back to the meal’s upper-class, wealthy American origins. The most well-known brunch food, eggs benedict, was created in New York City, where brunch menus also regularly include regional specialties like smoked sturgeon and Nova lox. It should come as no surprise that according to Food & Wine, New York City is the nation’s top brunch destination.
In the South, brunch is very popular and showcases southern influences with dishes like fried chicken benedict served atop buttermilk biscuits. With lavish, all-you-can-eat buffet feasts that usually feature upscale fares like jumbo crab legs, lobster, and oysters, Las Vegas may make the largest mark with brunch. The most popular feature among diners at many brunches around the United States is usually endless or “bottomless” Bloody Mary and mimosa drinks. However, many well-liked “bottomless” brunches now place a time limit of one or two hours on the festivities before the bottom suddenly reappears.
Brunch At Home
Brunch is an ideal meal for the home chef to tackle. It’s so popular, in fact, celebrity chef Bobby Flay even dedicated an entire television series to it. Hosts enjoy the flexibility of schedule and wide array of dishes to choose from, while guests will relish the luxuriousness of skipping the long lines at the local brunch hot spot. The next time you go out for brunch or have brunch at home, you can thank the Brits for bringing over this beloved meal.