Ahhhh Breakfast!

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, so it's been said.  Every country has their own variation of breakfast foods, and quite fascinating too! Wikipedia has a nice list of countries and what they serve for breakfast.  I've experienced breakfast in a handful of countries and they were all different, except they all served coffee or tea. Some had juice and fruit, others not.  Some had cookies, cheese and baguettes, and others not.  Breakfast is actually quite a fascinating subject! 

Eating breakfast began in the Neolithic (late Stone Age) era, when large stones were used to grind grains to make a sort of porridge. Porridge was also a staple of Roman Solders’ diets – they called it pulmentus.

During the middle ages, barley and hops were used to make beer which was served up in the morning to hungry peasants alongside oatcakes or porridge. (ref: breakfastpanel.org)

I did experience a similar breakfast as listed below back in 1998 in London.  Get a load of this hearty fare!  I don't think we had "cold joint of meat though".... but the half tomato is missing.  I remember the tomato, thinking tomatoes for breakfast?! Oh, and there weren't any game pies or broiled mackerel either, but plenty of everything else.  I think it was nearly the equivalent of the "full English breakfast" served in the 1860's to well-off households.  Incredible huh?

 Eating breakfast had become a more elaborate act by the 19th century, at least in well-off households. In the 1861 Book of Household Management, Isabella Beeton suggested a daily breakfast buffet that included a cold joint of meat, game pies, broiled mackerel, sausages, bacon and eggs, muffins, toast, marmalade, butter, jam, coffee and tea. (ref:breakfastpanel.org)

But even back in the late 1800's someone saw these diets were not very healthy, so along came Kellogg and Post who created cereals.  Good thing too, not too many people make time for breakfast anymore, so cereal is easy, kids can get it themselves.  In fact, I'm already thinking of my Cheerios and skim milk tomorrow....

I still enjoy coffee in the morning though, so I offer these lovely elegant milk/cream, crystal/glass pitchers in case you want to get all elegant and everything on a Sunday morning.

You can check them out at Le Petit Marche