Ready Your Appetite—a Full Irish Breakfast Offers a Hearty Variety (2024)

One thing Britain and Ireland are known for is their hearty breakfasts. There are common ingredients between the two countries' early morning feasts, but there are also dishes that are specifically Irish. The full Irish breakfast was created for farm workers so they would be satiated and ready for a full day's work. The meal was made up of local produce and homemade items, all of which were cooked in a frying pan with a pad of Irish butter.

Today the list of foods that make up a full Irish (as it is called) has expanded, and it may not be eaten at the start of a busy workday, but the tradition continues.

What Makes a Full Irish Breakfast

A full Irish breakfastis the traditional cooked breakfastof Ireland, but it is also one of those expressions thatmeandifferent things to different people—it all depends on where you live. (In Ulster in Northern Ireland the breakfast is also known as an "Ulster fry.")

All full Irish breakfasts include some or all of the following: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak. There will also be toast, butter, marmalade, and lots of tea to drink.

What distinguishesthis from a full British breakfastis the inclusion ofblack or white pudding, which is also known as drisheen. The bread served will also often be Irish soda breadto differentiate it from a full British breakfast. And, you may also find fried potato farl (quadrant-shaped flatbread) orboxty (Irish potato pancake) as an alternative to brown soda bread.

When a Full Irish Is Served

A full Irish is usually served at breakfast time, but it is also popular at other times of the day, sometimes to replace lunch. Rarely is it served every day of the week, saved instead for the weekend to enjoy on a lazy Saturday or Sunday, or while on vacation in hotels and bed and breakfasts where no stay would be complete without one.

What is Drunk with a Full Irish

The beverages served with a full Irish breakfast are tea and orange juice. Tea has long been considered the drink of the English with belief that the English drink more tea than anyone else. Well, that is actually not true—it is the Irish who drink more tea; the second most in the world after Turkey. So guess what they drink for breakfast? Tea of course, and although it is in fashion to drink coffee, tea still rules.

Which Other Foods Are in a Full Irish

Over the years more foods have become interchangeable as part of a full breakfast in both Ireland and Britain. Some items you may see offered areeggy bread, crumpets, kippers,jolly boys (pancakes), onions (fried or rings) corned beef hash, deviled kidneys, kedgeree, omelette, fried bread, Derbyshire oatcakes, English muffins, potato scones/tattie scones, Arbroath smokies, bannocks, butteries/rowies (lard-based bread roll), herring, haggis, Lorne (square Scottish) sausage, white pudding, laver bread, Penclawdd co*ckles, Glamorgan (vegetarian) sausage, Crempog (Welsh pancakes), andwheaten bread.

Ready Your Appetite—a Full Irish Breakfast Offers a Hearty Variety (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a full Irish breakfast and a full English breakfast? ›

An English breakfast, although very similar to the Irish one, might include fried potatoes, as mentioned above. The other key difference is its lack of two key components: sliced black pudding and/or white pudding. These pork products, original to County Cork, have become a requisite part of any Irish fry up.

What is included in a full Irish breakfast? ›

A traditional full Irish breakfast comprises bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, beans, soda bread or toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and white or black pudding. For those wondering, black pudding coagulates the pig's blood into a sausage form. The white pudding is simply a pork sausage, usually flat.

What is a full breakfast served in Northern Ireland called? ›

(In Ulster in Northern Ireland the breakfast is also known as an "Ulster fry.") All full Irish breakfasts include some or all of the following: Bacon, sausages, baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and perhaps some cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash or a bubble and squeak.

What is a greasy Irish breakfast? ›

For those of you in the audience who aren't familiar, an Irish Breakfast includes fried eggs, bacon (much like Canadian bacon, and less like American bacon), sausage, pudding (black and red), and a fried tomato, with fruit, cheese, yogurt, and bread on the side.

Is Irish breakfast stronger than English breakfast? ›

The main difference between these two breakfast blends is in strength. Irish Breakfast tea is usually stronger than English breakfast, but today, that doesn't always need to be a case. Today, many English Breakfast blends contain at least 2 or more different teas, sometimes even four or more.

What kind of sausage is in Irish breakfast? ›

Bangers is a centuries-old traditional British and Irish recipe. They consist of lean and fat pork that is ground up tossed with spices and herbs that is then encased in hog casing to make sausage. There are many variations of Bangers when it comes to the ingredients depending on who makes them.

How to eat full Irish breakfast? ›

A large cooked breakfast of meat (bacon, sausages and black and white puddings), eggs, vegetables and potato all fried in creamery butter, it is served with a generous helping of homemade Irish soda or brown bread for soakage and washed down with a strong cup of breakfast tea such as Barry or Lyons tea (depending where ...

What do they call bacon in Ireland? ›

IMPORTANT WORD YOU SHOULD LEARN: Rashers. That's Irish slang for bacon. You'll find back (wide) or streaky (narrow) rashers in an Irish breakfast; both types may look and taste different to what you might expect. Irish bacon is chunkier than American bacon, with a little more meat.

What is the Irish breakfast slang? ›

Fry. Definition: A traditional Irish breakfast. Example: “Nothing beats a hearty fry-up with bacon, eggs, and black pudding.”

What is a full Scottish breakfast? ›

So, what is a full Scottish breakfast? Usually made up of bacon, link sausages, Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage or slice), black pudding, haggis, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs, the full Scottish breakfast is a sight to behold.

What is a full Welsh breakfast? ›

The Welsh Breakfast is a unique combination of some of the most symbolic food of Wales, such as Welsh bacon, Laverbread, and Penclawdd co*ckles. The breakfast begins with thick slices of Welsh bacon. Historically, bacon was kept and used as a staple source of fat in most kitchens throughout Wales.

What is a full Finnish breakfast? ›

Traditional Finnish breakfast dishes

Breakfast is usually served at 7-8 am and consists of such satisfying meals as oat or rice porridge, rye bread with herb cheese and salt-cured salmon, eggs, traditional pastries and pies with fruit jam, and yogurt with freshly picked berries.

How do Irish people eat eggs? ›

Eggs are most commonly consumed today as part of the Irish breakfast, mostly fried, but also poached or scrambled.

What is an authentic Irish breakfast? ›

A Full Irish Breakfast typically includes fried or grilled bacon, sausages, black and white pudding, eggs (fried or scrambled), baked beans, grilled tomatoes, and toast. Some variations may also include mushrooms and hash browns.

What is the difference between a full English and a full Irish breakfast? ›

Button mushrooms cooked in Irish butter and cooked tomato halves are included in the full Irish. Brown soda bread or toasted pan bread, which is bread made in a tin, rounds out the breakfast. Notably missing in most Irish breakfasts are the baked beans and potatoes you'll find in an English breakfast.

What is the American version of a full English breakfast? ›

An American 'Full Yankee' is equivalent to the 'Full English' Breakfast. You can top this with brown sauce but no beans are allowed. If you want a breakfast with beans, go for the TexMex Breakfast Burrito which is much better than the British tomato flavoured mush.

What is a true full English breakfast? ›

The Traditional Full English Breakfast

A full English breakfast typically includes bacon, fried, poached or scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, fried bread or buttered toast, and sausages. Black pudding, baked beans, and bubble and squeak are also often included.

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