Brunch Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Brunch (disambiguation).

Brunch is a special meal that combines breakfast and lunch. It's usually eaten later in the morning, often between 10:00 a.m. and noon. Sometimes, people enjoy it with special drinks. The word brunch is a mix of the words breakfast and lunch. This meal started in England in the late 1800s and became very popular in the United States in the 1930s.

Where the Word "Brunch" Came From
Brunch at Schools and Hotels
Brunch for the Military
Dim Sum Brunch
Brunch for Special Days
Brunch in Other Languages
- Chinese
- French
- Italian
Brunch in Other Places
- Canada
- Philippines
Gallery
See also

Where the Word "Brunch" Came From

The word "brunch" first appeared in print in 1895. It was in an article called "Brunch: A Plea" by a writer named Guy Beringer, published in Hunter's Weekly magazine in Britain.

Beringer suggested that instead of a heavy Sunday dinner after church, people should have a new meal around noon. This meal would start with breakfast items like tea, coffee, and marmalade. Then, it would move on to heavier foods.

By getting rid of the need to wake up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for people who had a fun Saturday night. It would also make people happier in other ways. "Brunch is cheerful, friendly and exciting," Beringer wrote. "It makes you talk. It puts you in a good mood, it makes you happy with yourself and others, it sweeps away the worries and problems of the week."

– William Grimes, "At Brunch, the More Bizarre the Better" New York Times, 1998

Some people have also suggested that a reporter named Frank Ward O'Malley might have created the term. He wrote for a New York newspaper in the early 1900s. He might have thought of the word by watching his co-workers eat in the middle of the day.

Brunch at Schools and Hotels

Many colleges and hotels offer brunch. It's often served as a buffet, where you can choose your own food. Sometimes, you can also order from a menu.

Brunch usually includes popular breakfast foods like eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, fruits, pastries, pancakes, and waffles.

Brunch for the Military

The armies of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom often serve brunch on weekends in their dining halls. They offer both breakfast and lunch foods. These brunches are usually open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Dim Sum Brunch

A special kind of brunch is the dim sum brunch, which is very popular in Chinese restaurants around the world. It includes many different small dishes. These can be stuffed buns, dumplings, and other tasty or sweet foods. They are often steamed, deep-fried, or baked.

Customers pick small portions from carts that pass by their tables. The kitchen keeps making fresh dishes and sending them out. Dim sum is usually eaten in the late morning, midday, or mid-afternoon.

Brunch for Special Days

Restaurants and hotels often prepare brunch for special occasions. These can include weddings, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and Easter.

Brunch in Other Languages

Chinese

In Chinese, the word for brunch is "早午饭" (pinyin: zǎo wǔfàn).

"早饭" (zǎofàn) means breakfast. ("早" means morning, "饭" means meal).
"午饭" (wǔfàn) means lunch. ("午" means noon, "饭" means meal).

So, "早午饭" is a combination of breakfast and lunch.

French

In Quebec, Canada, the French language office accepts "brunch" as a real word. They also suggest a French term, déjeuner-buffet. In Quebec, the word déjeuner by itself means 'breakfast'. When French speakers say "brunch," it sounds like [bʁɔ̃ʃ].

Italian

In Italy, people usually use the English word "brunch." However, some new Italian words are becoming more popular. One is colanzo, which comes from colazione (breakfast) and pranzo (lunch). Another, less common word is pranzolazione, made from the same two words.

Brunch in Other Places

Canada

The Leslieville area in Toronto is sometimes called the "brunch capital" because it has many famous places that serve brunch. Brunch buffets are also found in other parts of Southern Ontario.

In Canada, brunch is eaten both at home and in restaurants. It usually includes foods similar to American brunches. These often are:

Drinks like coffee, tea, and fruit juices.
Breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, and french toast.
Meats such as ham, bacon, and sausages.
Egg dishes like scrambled eggs, omelettes, and Eggs Benedict.
Breads like toast, bagels, or croissants.
Pastries or cakes, such as cinnamon rolls and coffee cake.
Fresh cut fruit or fruit salad.

Sometimes, brunches also include foods not usually eaten for breakfast. These can be roasted meats, quiche, soup, smoked salmon, sandwiches, and salads like Cobb salad.

When served in a restaurant, brunch can be a buffet where you serve yourself. Often, it's "all-you-can-eat." Restaurants can also serve brunch from a menu, where waiters bring your food. Brunch meals can range from cheap ones at diners to expensive ones at fancy restaurants.

Philippines

In the Philippines, brunch is served between 9:00 a.m. and noon. If people eat a meal between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m., it's called merienda. This is a traditional snack that came from Spanish times.