What Is a Full Irish Breakfast? (2024)

A full Irish breakfast is more than a plate of food; it's an occasion in and of itself, and as such, it should be approached with enthusiasm and a big appetite. Loaded with protein, an Irish breakfast usually offers four breakfast meats and two eggs fried sunny side up. Eating eggs with bacon and sausages is nothing new, but the feast set before you when you order an Irish fry is a sign of great hospitality and the test of a good cook.

What Makes an Irish Breakfast Unique?

In addition to the meats and eggs there will also be button mushrooms that are cooked in butter until tender. There might also be a helping of saucey baked beans from a can and, depending on who you ask, broiled or pan-fried tomato halves. Plenty of toast is a reliable feature, whether the soft, pre-sliced kind the Irish call "pan," or more wholesome slices of brown soda bread. Some people fry their bread in bacon fat, but if you see any sign of a deep-fat fryer, steer clear. If you're in Northern Ireland you'll be served a small skillet cake called a fadge, which has potato in the dough. Neither hash browns nor the thick fries both the English and Irish call chips should be included.

You can rest assured, though, that a little dish of rich, golden Irish butter will be provided to spread on your toast, and a jar of marmalade will be there, too. Of course, a hot, strong cuppa, otherwise known as Irish tea with milk, is the perfect thing to wash it down with, and you may as well order a whole pot.

How to Cook a Full Irish Breakfast.

Poorly executed examples of the Irish breakfast have given it a greasy reputation. But when care is taken—from the sourcing to the cooking—there is nothing quite as satisfying. It's a production to have everything ready at the same time, and a careful host will have two skillets and the broiler ready. Rashers (which means slices) of bacon are fried first, and the fat left behind helps to cook the other ingredients—except the eggs, which must be fried separately. Irish bacon, which is back or loin bacon, is similar to what we call Canadian bacon, and it's not streaked with fat as American bacon is. Tender Irish sausages, every child's favorite part, are stuffed with finely ground pork as well as soft breadcrumbs and herbs. These sausages will pop in the hot pan if you don't prick them in a few places first, which is why they're known as bangers in England.

What Makes a Full Irish Different Than 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. The word pudding is misleading; They are more like fat, country-style sausages. Both are savory: The white pudding is made from pigs' offal, while black pudding, similar to French boudin noir and Spanish morcilla is made from pig's blood seasoned with onions, herbs, and pinhead (steel-cut) oats. This iron-rich, deeply savory food supplemented many Irish country diets during leaner times. In the latter half of the 20th century, production of these foods was industrialized, but in every county these days, small Irish butchers and artisanal producers are carrying on the tradition of making sausages, puddings, breads, and preserves with local ingredients.

Each year the Irish travel guidebook publisher Georgina Campbell and the Irish tourism board, Faîlte Ireland, give awards for the best breakfast in Ireland. The results are just in: Ireland's best sausages and rashers? You'll find those at McCarthy's of Kanturk, Co. Cork, just named as the producer of Ireland's top breakfast meats. Even if you don't have McCarthy's meats, full Irish is a protein-rich breakfast and will certainly set you up for the day.

What Is a Full Irish Breakfast? (2024)

FAQs

What Is a Full Irish Breakfast? ›

A traditional full Irish

Irish
By the 21st century, much traditional Irish cuisine was being revived. Representative dishes include Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, boxty, brown bread (as it is referred to in the south) or soda bread (predominantly used in Ulster), coddle, and colcannon.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Irish_cuisine
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 traditional full Irish breakfast? ›

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

In England, the Full English typically includes items like bacon, sausage, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, and toast or fried bread. On the other hand, the Full Irish breakfast often features similar components but with some distinctive additions such as black and white pudding.

What is a stereotypical 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 is the most common breakfast in Ireland? ›

1: Full Irish Breakfast

Featuring Irish sausages, bacon, black and white pudding, eggs, Irish soda bread, and more additions depending on where you are in the country, full Irish breakfasts are easily the most popular breakfast anywhere in Ireland. Originally published in March 2021, updated in June 2023.

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.

Is Irish breakfast stronger than English breakfast? ›

Irish Breakfast tea emphasizes the use of Assam and has a more robust and intense flavor than English breakfast. Like their whiskey, the Irish enjoy their tea extra strong.

What is a greasy Irish breakfast? ›

While it may depend on who you ask and where they are from, a traditional Irish breakfast almost always includes fried eggs with a runny yolk, back bacon (known commonly in the Republic and Northern Ireland as “rashers”), pork sausage, whole or sliced button mushrooms (sautéed in the pork and bacon fat), and tomatoes ( ...

Is a full Irish breakfast healthy? ›

A Full Irish Breakfast is not only a hearty and satisfying meal but it also offers several nutritional benefits. The combination of protein from eggs, bacon, and sausage helps to keep you full and satisfied for longer periods. This can be beneficial for weight management as it may reduce snacking throughout the day.

What is a fry up in Ireland? ›

A full breakfast or fry-up is a substantial cooked breakfast meal often served in Great Britain and Ireland. Depending on the region, it may also be referred to as a full English, a full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh or, in Ireland, Ulster fry.

What do Irish call bacon? ›

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 an Irish goodbye? ›

In common parlance, an Irish exit (or "Irish goodbye") refers to someone leaving a social gathering without notifying the host. “An 'Irish exit' is another name for slipping out the back (or front) door seemingly unnoticed by the host,” national etiquette expert Diane Gottsman tells TODAY.com.

What do Irish eat for lunch? ›

Lunch often consists of a bowl of hot soup alongside freshly baked soda bread, but a heartier lunch menu can be found at the local pubs, where typical Irish plates are served around the clock.

Do they eat cereal in Ireland? ›

This was followed by cereal at 19%, both lagging behind bread and toast with an impressive 33%. Based on these statistics, it is no surprise that breakfast cereals are so high on the priority list for shoppers in Ireland.

What is the most Irish meal? ›

What are the most popular Irish foods?
  • Corned beef and cabbage. Corned beef and cabbage is a dish steeped in history, often associated with St. ...
  • Shepherd's pie. ...
  • Irish stew. ...
  • Boxty. ...
  • Soda bread. ...
  • Colcannon. ...
  • Barmbrack. ...
  • Black pudding.
Mar 13, 2024

What are the 9 items in a full English breakfast? ›

A common traditional English breakfast typically includes back bacon and sausages (usually pork), eggs (fried, poached or scrambled), fried or grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, black pudding, baked beans and bread, either, or both, toast and fried bread.

What is served at an Irish wake? ›

Expect to see lots of people sitting around and chatting as they drink tea and eat sandwiches, biscuits and cakes – even in the room where the body is laid out. The closest family members will usually be beside the body, which is typically laid out in a coffin.

What is super Irish breakfast? ›

SUPER IRISH BREAKFAST: a more caffeinated version of the regular Irish Breakfast, our Super Irish Breakfast has even more Assam than regular Irish Breakfast, which makes the tea maltier, richer and more full-bodied. It stands up well to milk and sugar.

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