Three little-known facts about breakfast
Have you ever thought about the history and significance of the breakfast meal? This is what you need to know.
Whether you’re enjoying a plate of waffles, a bowl of cereal, or a large cup of coffee on your way to work, it’s safe to assume you start every day with breakfast. After all, it is the most important meal of the day.
But believe it or not, grabbing a bite in the morning wasn’t always part of society’s daily routine. Even the meals we usually associate with the first part of the day weren’t always breakfast foods. So, when did breakfast become part of our routine? Why do we fuel up with bacon and eggs? What did we drink before coffee and team became the standard breakfast beverage? Here are three little-known facts about the most important meal of the day.
How Breakfast Became a Thing
Having a meal at the break of day seems like the most obvious thing to do after a good night’s rest. But morning meals are a relatively new concept. In medieval Europe, breakfast was only eaten by the sick, the elderly, and those who had to work very early. According to historians, breakfast only became a thing in the 16th century when the concept of employment spread throughout the world. As more people started to work for an employer instead of themselves, on their own land, they had to toil for long periods of time without any sustenance. After a while, it became obvious that a big breakfast was the key to working longer days. Then the Industrial Revolution came around, and farms were replaced by factories. By then, it was normal for everyone to eat breakfast before going to work. If 9-to-5s were never invented, breakfast may have never become a thing.
Bacon for Breakfast Was a (Spin) Doctor’s Idea
Ask anyone to list a few typical breakfast foods, and a plate of bacon and eggs is likely to make the list. Eggs have always been a popular breakfast food, probably because a fresh tray was often available early in the day. But their pairing with bacon only came about in the 20th century after a PR guru convinced 5 000 doctors to promote bacon and eggs as a healthy breakfast. If you’re going to follow doctors’ orders and have some rashers and eggs for breakfast, order Wimpy’s Bacon Sizzle Breakfast & a FREE Regular Filter Coffee. That’s 3 rashers of streaky bacon, 2 eggs, a slice of toast, diced hash cubes, and a FREE Regular Filter Coffee for R49.90. Find a Wimpy near you to order ahead for sit-down dining.
Coffee Wasn’t Always a Breakfast Brew
While we’re on the subject of breakfast brews, here’s an interesting fact you didn’t know; coffee only became a popular drink in the 19th century. Before that, most people started their day with a dop. In ancient Egypt, breakfast consisted of bread and beer, while the Greeks had a few sips of wine first thing in the morning. Coffee became a popular breakfast brew for the same reason people enjoy it today, caffeine. Sometime during the 18th and 19th centuries, workers needed something to boost their productivity, and coffee was the most affordable beverage. Fast-forward to today, coffee is the go-to drink for most mornings.
Regardless of how breakfast became a thing, you can’t deny how good it feels to sink your teeth into a tasty morning meal. So, the next time you grab some early morning nourishment, remember that the meal you’re enjoying is a relatively new invention.
