Ethan Brooks
The word 'breakfast' refers to the first meal of the day, typically eaten in the morning. The word comes from the Old English 'morgenmete', meaning morning meal, and the phrase 'to break one's fast', referring to the breaking of the fasting period during sleep or overnight. The word 'dinner' also originally meant 'breakfast' in Old French, derived from the Latin 'disieiunare', meaning 'to breakfast', and the Gallo-Romance 'desjunare', meaning 'to break one's fast'. The use of the word 'breakfast' to describe a morning meal came into use in written English in the 15th century.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Old English word | morgenmete, undernmete |
| Origin | Comes from "breaking the fast" |
| Other languages | Frühstück (German), kahvaltı (Turkish), almuerzo (Spanish), déjeuner (French), desayuno (Spanish), disieiunare (Vulgar Latin), desjunare (Gallo-Romance), disner (Old French) |
| Ancient Egyptian breakfast | Bread, cheese, eggs, butter, curds, clotted cream, stewed beans |
| Japanese breakfast | Miso soup, rice porridge |
| Lebanese breakfast | Raw leeks with bread |
| French breakfast | Apple turnovers, brioche, croissant, pain au chocolat |
| Aztec breakfast | Corn porridge with honey and chillies, tortillas with beans and salsa |
| Lumberjack breakfast | Eggs, fried pork strips, flapjacks |
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What You'll Learn
Breakfast etymology
The word "breakfast" in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. The word is derived from the Middle English "brekefast", "brekefaste", or "brekfast", which is equivalent to "break" + "fast" (literally, "to end the nightly fast"), and is likely a variant of Old English "fæstenbryċe", which means "fast-breach". Cognate with Dutch "breekvasten" ("breakfast"), the word in English is also related to the Latin "dis-" + "ieiunō" ("stop fasting"), and the Latin "admorsus", the past participle of "admordere" ("to bite into"), from "ad" ("to") and "mordēre" ("to bite").
In Old English, a regular morning meal was called "morgenmete", and the word "dinner", which originated from the Gallo-Romance "desjunare" ("to break one's fast"), referred to a meal after fasting. In the 13th century, dinner's meaning faded away, and around the 15th century, "breakfast" came into use in written English to describe a morning meal. In the 16th century, caffeinated beverages were introduced to the European diet, with coffee and tea believed to aid the body in "evacuation of superfluities".
In Greek literature, there are numerous mentions of "ariston", a meal taken not long after sunrise. Eventually, "ariston" was moved to around noon, and a new morning meal was introduced. In the post-Homeric classical period of Greece, a meal called "akratisma" was typically consumed immediately after rising in the morning. "Akratisma" consisted of barley bread dipped in wine, sometimes complemented by figs or olives.
The Romans called breakfast "ientaculum", which was usually composed of everyday staples like bread, cheese, olives, salad, nuts, raisins, and cold meat left over from the night before. Roman soldiers woke up to a breakfast of "pulmentus", a porridge similar to Italian polenta, made from roasted spelt wheat or barley that was then pounded and cooked in a cauldron of water.
In the European Middle Ages, breakfast was commonly eaten by working people, children, the elderly, and the sick, while the upper classes did not speak of or partake in eating in the morning. By the 15th century, breakfast in western Europe often included meat, and noblemen were seen to indulge in breakfast, making it a more common practice.
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Ancient Egyptian breakfasts
Breakfast in ancient Egypt was likely quite different from what many people are used to today. For one, the ancient Egyptians placed great importance on bread and beer as staples of their diet. In fact, bread was so central to their diet that it included the Arabic word for "life" ("aish"). Bread was made from emmer wheat, which was difficult to turn into flour due to its tough chaff. The grains were carefully dried in the sun, pounded with a pestle, and then milled on a saddle quern. The dough was baked in various ways, including in heavy pottery molds set in embers, tall cones on square hearths, and large open-topped clay ovens.
Another staple of ancient Egyptian cuisine was beer, which was a primary source of nutrition and consumed daily. Beer was so valuable that it was used as currency and in medicine. It was also offered as a gift to the gods, with Pharaoh Rameses III offering nearly 12,000 jars of fava beans to the god of the Nile.
In addition to bread and beer, ancient Egyptians also commonly consumed vegetables, such as green-shooted onions, legumes, and to a lesser extent, meat, game, and fish. They also ate poultry, both wild and domestic, as well as mice and hedgehogs. A common way to cook hedgehog was to encase it in clay and bake it, which removed the prickly spikes when the clay was cracked open.
Some specific dishes that may have been part of an ancient Egyptian breakfast include:
- Fuul medames (or simply "fuul"): a stew of slow-cooked fava beans drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, and topped with spices and herbs. This dish is often served with flatbread for dipping and is considered one of Egypt's national dishes.
- Taameya: a type of Egyptian falafel made from fava beans instead of chickpeas, giving it a distinctive green colour. Taameya is often served with tahini sauce and bread.
- Gibna beda: a white fresh cheese that dates back to ancient Egypt and is considered one of the oldest types of cheese. It is served in various flavours and with different spices, sometimes accompanied by tomatoes.
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French breakfasts
The word "breakfast" in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. In Old English, a regular morning meal was called "morgenmete", and the word "dinner" referred to a meal after fasting. In the mid-13th century, the meaning of "dinner" changed, and around the 15th century, "breakfast" came into use in written English to describe a morning meal.
Now, let's move on to French breakfasts:
- Croissants: This is one of the most versatile breakfast dishes. It can be sweet, such as the classic "pain au chocolat", or "croissant aux amandes", which is filled and topped with nuts. Or it can be savoury, like the "croissant au jambon et fromage", which is filled with ham and cheese.
- Tartines: Toasted baguettes sliced lengthwise and served with butter and jam on the side. Sweet tartines are usually served at breakfast, while savoury ones are more common for lunch or dinner.
- Brioche: This is a good option if you're on the go. You can combine it with some fresh orange juice for a more decadent and calorific breakfast.
- French Toast ("Pain Perdu"): Thick slices of bread dipped in a mix of egg, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract, then lightly fried in butter. It can be served with maple syrup and bacon.
- Crepes: A more time-consuming option, but they can be sweet or savoury, depending on your preferences. Sweet crepes ("crepes sucrees") are typically covered with toppings like sugar, jam, Nutella, or fresh fruits. Savoury crepes ("crepes salees") are usually covered in cheeses, hams, eggs, or vegetables like mushrooms and spinach.
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Lumberjack breakfasts
The word "breakfast" in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. The Old English word for breakfast was "morgenmete", which means "morning meal". The word "dinner" also originally referred to a morning meal, derived from the Gallo-Romance word "desjunare", meaning "to break one's fast". In the mid-13th century, the meaning of dinner shifted, and by the 15th century, "breakfast" came into use in written English to describe a morning meal.
Now, let's talk about lumberjack breakfasts. Lumberjack breakfasts are named after the intensive labouring men who worked in logging, often in frigid temperatures. The meal is designed to be warming and filling, and a source of energy for hard work.
The classic lumberjack breakfast consists of pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and deep-fried potatoes. Pancakes are piled high and served with butter and syrup. Some people also include sausage, ham, and hot sauce.
Historically, during the peak of industrial logging in the 19th and 20th centuries, a lumberjack's breakfast looked quite different. Nutritional records from this time show that lumberjacks consumed a variety of proteins and baked beans, with eggs being notably absent. On river drive days, when logs were transported down icy rivers, baked beans were the main dish, accompanied by cookies or pastries.
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Aztec breakfasts
The Aztec civilisation flourished in Mesoamerica from the 14th to the 16th century, with a society based on agriculture. The Aztec diet was well-rounded and without any significant deficiencies in vitamins or minerals.
The most important staple in the Aztec diet was maize, a crop held in high regard that played a central part in Aztec mythology. Maize was eaten in various forms, including as corn tortillas, tamales, and ātōlli, a maize or corn gruel. The process of nixtamalization, where maize grains are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, improved the nutritional value of the maize. The maize was then ground into a dough called nixtamal, which was used to make dishes such as tamales, tortillas, and atole, a warm, corn-based drink. Maize was served at every meal, along with beans, which provided a good source of protein.
Other important foods in the Aztec diet included squash, tomatoes, chilli peppers, sweet potatoes, onions, avocados, and various fruits such as guavas, papayas, and custard apples. The Aztecs also consumed a variety of fish and wild game, including deer, rabbits, turkeys, iguanas, and insects like maguey worms and ant larvae.
The act of eating held sacred meaning in Aztec culture, with ritual cannibalism being one example. While most sources describe two meals per day, there is an account of labourers receiving three meals: one at dawn, one around 9 am, and one in the afternoon around 3 pm.
Aztec feasts and banquets were highly ceremonial, with music, singing, storytelling, dancing, incense burning, flowers, tobacco, offerings, and gift-giving. Before the meal, servants presented fragrant tobacco tubes and flowers, and each guest would offer a little food to the god Tlaltecuhtli. The host would be reminded of their mortality and the dual nature of all things, a key aspect of Aztec belief.
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Frequently asked questions
In Old English, a regular morning meal was called "morgenmete". The word "dinner", which originated from the Gallo-Romance word "desjunare", meaning "to break one's fast", referred to a meal after fasting.
Around the 15th century, the word "breakfast" came into use in written English to describe a morning meal.
In the European Middle Ages, breakfast usually consisted of rye bread and a bit of cheese, along with low alcohol-content beers. In Great Britain, prior to 1600, breakfast typically included bread, cold meat or fish, and ale.
