There is an old motto that says “Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper” meaning it is wise to start the day with a large cooked typical irish breakfast or full irish fry. Such a motto could very much be applied to the traditional full Irish Breakfast.It is a meal that will fill you up and enable you to have the energy to make the most of a full days travel around the countryside whilst on a vacation in Ireland.
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 you are) and a glass of orange juice.
It is a meal that was traditionally concocted to prepare one for a full days heavy duty work on the farm on a cold winter morning and was comprised of the best local and homemade farm produce all cooked in butter in a frying pan.
While today it is not possible to be eaten on most work mornings, the traditional full Irish serves as a staple treat for most households to indulge in on a lazy Sunday morning whilst reading the Sunday papers. And it is not just confined to mornings, it is a meal that can be eaten at any hour of the day depending on your liking.
While opinion may be divided on what constitutes an Irish breakfast from household to household the main ingredients remain the same, with the very best of Irish local ingredients comprising of meats such as good loin bacon or rashers, best of local sausages, black and white puddings (which are a type of sausage made up of pork meat, oats and spices and pork blood (in the black pudding)) eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and cold cooked potato or potato bread (optional) all being used. These ingredients are then fried in a little knob of Irish butter in a frying pan and served with a helping of homemade bread, butter and jam at the side and finished off with a cup of tea or orange juice.
For visitors enjoying a trip to Ireland, a stay wouldn’t be complete without first sampling the Irish breakfast whether it be the full version or a mini half portion.
For the adventurous types who wish to sample the local produce here is a simple recipe for the traditional Irish fry-up
Recipe
Serves 4
Pack of Irish bacon or rashers
Pack of Irish local Sausages
Black and white Pudding
400g of baked Beans
4 Eggs
Mushrooms
4 medium Tomatoes halved
Potato Farl or boxty or some cold cooked potato leftovers from yesterdays dinner (traditionalists only)
Served with a side of
Thick slices of soda or traditional Irish brown bread.
Irish creamery butter
Jam (optional)
Breakfast tea
Orange juice
Instructions
Place a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and melt a knob of good Irish creamery butter. Add the rashers and fry them until they are cooked to your liking (irish style cooked but not crispy). Set aside on a warmed plate in the oven to keep warm and fry the sausages in the frying pan. Once cooked add them to the rashers on the warmed plate.
Meanwhile slice the puddings, half the tomatoes and chop up the mushrooms and add to the frying pan, frying until they are browned on all sides. Again, once finished add to a warmed plate in the oven.
While you are frying the puddings, mushrooms and tomatoes, on a separate saucepan on another hob you can heat the baked beans if using.
If going the traditional route and using potato bread or indeed using cold cooked potatoes add it to the frying pan and cook as to your preference.
After finishing with the vegetables and puddings one can next fry the eggs in the same frying pan. Once finished with the eggs, one can now add all the cooked ingredients together and serve on 4 plates.
To serve
Serve with some thick slices of homemade Irish bread loaf be it soda or brown bread. For an extra touch have a little side dish of homemade jam and Irish creamery butter for a choice of a sweet topping to the bread to eat afterwards with your tea.
Wash down with a strong cup of Breakfast tea be it Barrys or Lyons tea depending on your local ties. A healthy side glass of orange juice is optional
FAQs
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 famous breakfast in Ireland? ›
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 ( ...
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 ...
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 are bangers in an Irish breakfast? ›
What are Irish Bangers you ask...they are a flavorful pork sausage made with less fat filler then the the average breakfast sausage we are accustomed to (delicious when served have with mashed potatoes and gravy)..available this week at Matthew's Market.
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 do people eat for breakfast in Dublin? ›
They are not all the same but they will start with a couple of eggs (at least) add some very lean back bacon (known as rashers) black and maybe white pudding (a sort of sausage), breakfast sausage, baked beans, bread, ideally Irish soda bread, mushrooms and fried tomato.
What is the main meal of the day in Ireland? ›
The Dining Experience in Ireland
The main meal of the day for locals is dinner, meaning making reservations is a good idea, especially if you're planning to dine during peak Irish dinner hours (from 8:00 p.m. onward).
What is the Irish breakfast menu? ›
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.
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.
Is black pudding Irish? ›
The British and Irish iteration of a dish found everywhere that pigs are kept and killed, a sausage or pudding of spiced pig's blood. In Spain, it might be thickened with rice, in Poland with buckwheat groats, while in Sicily you will find a version made solely of the blood seasoned with mint and chilli.
What is a fry up in Ireland? ›
Buttered toast, and jam or marmalade, are often served at the end of the meal, although toast is generally available throughout the meal. As nearly everything is fried in this meal, it is commonly known as a "fry-up".
What is the most popular breakfast food in Ireland? ›
Traditional Irish breakfast
Drum roll please... sausages, bacon (rashers as we call them), eggs, white AND black pudding (pork and blood sausages, respectively), baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns (potato) and soda bread or toast! That's a hearty morning meal if ever there was one.
What is the best food to eat in Ireland? ›
12 Must-try Traditional Irish Foods
- Irish Soda Bread. The comforting aroma of Irish Soda Bread welcomes you after stepping foot into any Irish bakery! ...
- Irish Stew. ...
- Ulster Fry. ...
- Colcannon Mash and Champ. ...
- Potato Farls or Potato Bread. ...
- Irish White Pudding. ...
- Bacon and Cabbage. ...
- Coddle.
A common traditional English breakfast typically includes back bacon or 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 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 served at an Irish wake? ›
Food, tobacco and strong drink are also served at the Wake and mourners often filled their long night of 'waking' the dead with songs, stories, music, laments, bardic poetry, riddles and often bawdy 'wake games' - defiantly celebrating sex and life and mocking death - as wake-goers flirted and kissed.
