Full breakfast facts for kids

A full breakfast is a big, cooked meal often eaten in the United Kingdom and Ireland. People sometimes call it a "fry-up" because many of the foods are fried! It usually includes bacon, sausages, eggs, and toast. You might also find black pudding, baked beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms. People often drink coffee or tea with it.

This meal has different names depending on where you are. In England, it's called a "full English breakfast." In Ireland, it's a "full Irish." Scotland has the "full Scottish," Wales the "full Welsh," and Northern Ireland the "Ulster fry."

The full breakfast is so popular that many cafes and pubs serve it all day long! It's also a favorite in many Commonwealth countries. The idea of a big English breakfast goes back to the 13th century. Rich families would offer huge breakfasts to their guests as a sign of welcome.

This hearty meal became very popular in Great Britain and Ireland during the Victorian era. It's one of the most famous British dishes, like fish and chips or roast beef. A full breakfast is much bigger than a "continental breakfast," which is usually just tea or coffee with bread and pastries.

Different Kinds of Full Breakfasts

Great Britain and Ireland

England

The full English breakfast often consists of bacon, fried egg, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, toast, grilled tomatoes, and accompanied with tea or coffee.

The traditional full English breakfast usually has bacon, fried or scrambled eggs, fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, and sausages. You might also get fried bread or buttered toast. Sometimes, black pudding, baked beans, and bubble and squeak are added too. In some areas, special oatcakes might replace fried bread. People usually drink tea or coffee with it.

Because so much of the meal is fried, it's often called a "fry-up." The name "Full Monty" for a full English breakfast became popular after World War II. It's said that British Army general Bernard Montgomery, nicknamed Monty, ate a full English breakfast every day!

Cornwall

In Cornwall, a traditional breakfast includes hog's pudding and Cornish potato cakes. These potato cakes are made from mashed potatoes mixed with flour and butter, then fried. You'll also find the usual bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, egg, and toast. Long ago, Cornish breakfasts even included pilchards or herring fish!

Ireland

A full Irish breakfast

In Ireland, a full breakfast often has bacon, pork sausages, fried eggs, white pudding, black pudding, toast, and fried tomato. You might also see mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns, or brown soda bread. Sometimes, fried potato farl or boxty are served instead of soda bread.

A popular quick meal is the "breakfast roll." This is like a full breakfast stuffed into a French roll. It's easy to eat on the go, especially for students or people heading to work. You can find them at many petrol stations and shops across Ireland.

Ulster

A full Ulster fry served in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The potato bread is under the eggs, with the soda farl at the bottom.

In Northern Ireland and parts of County Donegal, the "Ulster fry" is very popular. It's similar to the Irish breakfast but always includes soda farl and potato bread.

Just like the breakfast roll, "filled sodas" are popular in Northern Ireland. These are soda farls that are lightly fried and filled with fried sausages, bacon, or eggs. You can also add fried onions or mushrooms.

Scotland

A similar Scottish alternative

A full Scottish breakfast includes eggs, bacon, sausage, buttered toast, baked beans, and tea or coffee. Special Scottish items are Scottish black pudding, Lorne sausage (a square-shaped sausage), and tattie scones (potato scones). You might also find grilled tomato or mushrooms, and sometimes haggis, white pudding, or fruit pudding. Another traditional Scottish breakfast is porridge.

Wales

The Full Welsh Breakfast (Welsh: Brecwast llawn Cymreig) has some unique ingredients. It often includes Welsh cockles and laverbread. Laverbread is a seaweed purée often mixed with oatmeal and fried. These are usually served with thick bacon. A Welsh breakfast can also have Welsh sausages, mushrooms, and eggs. People usually drink Welsh tea with it. Today, you might even find Welsh beer or ale served with it in pubs.

North America

Bacon and eggs with pancakes

This type of big breakfast came to the United States and Canada from Britain. A full breakfast here often has eggs, different kinds of meat, and some type of fried potatoes like hash browns or home fries. It also comes with bread or toast. These big breakfasts are usually eaten on weekends or for special occasions because they take time to make. In the southern United States, grits are often included.

In Canada and the US, people usually drink coffee with breakfast, not tea. Maple syrup is very popular in both countries, especially in the eastern forests where maple trees grow. Diners in both countries often serve eggs, bacon, and breakfast sausage with toast, English muffins, hash browns, pancakes, French toast, or waffles.

There are many different breakfast foods across North America. For example, oatmeal is common in Canada and New England, while grits are popular in the Southeast. Biscuits with gravy are a favorite in the South. In the West, you might find spicy dishes like migas or huevos rancheros. Both coasts often serve smoked salmon for breakfast.

Hong Kong

Some places in Hong Kong offer all-day breakfast or brunch. These meals often mix items from English and North American breakfasts.

Foods You Might Find

Potato bread (top) and soda farl (bottom) are included in the Ulster fry.

The exact foods in a full breakfast change depending on the region and what you like. They are often served with condiments like brown sauce or ketchup.

Here are some foods that can be part of a full breakfast:

Images for kids

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  A British cafe often serves the full breakfast all day.

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  The full English breakfast often consists of bacon, fried egg, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, toast, grilled tomatoes, and accompanied with tea or coffee.

See also

In Spanish: Desayuno completo para niños