Brunch

Brunch items

A homemade brunch consisting of cooked eggs on toast and salad, accompanied by orange juice.

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Brunch items from Kalaset restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark

Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch eaten usually during the late morning, but it can extend to as late as 3pm.^[1][2] The word is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch.^[3] Brunch originated in England in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States in the 1930s.^[4]

Origin of the word

The 1896 supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary cites Punch magazine which wrote that the term was coined in Britain in 1895 to describe a Sunday meal for "Saturday-night carousers" in the writer Guy Beringer's article "Brunch: A Plea"^[5] in Hunter's Weekly'^[6]

Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a postchurch ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well. "Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting." Beringer wrote. "It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week."

— William Grimes, "At Brunch, The More Bizarre The Better" New York Times, 1998^[7]

It is sometimes credited to reporter Frank Ward O'Malley who wrote for the New York newspaper The Sun from 1906 until 1919,^[8] allegedly based on the typical mid-day eating habits of a newspaper reporter.^[9][10]

At colleges and hostels

Some colleges and hostels serve brunch. Such brunches are often serve-yourself buffets, but menu-ordered meals may be available instead of, or with, the buffet. The meal usually involves standard breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, fruits, pastries, pancakes, scones, and the like.

Military

The United States military often serves weekend brunch in the dining facilities. They offer both breakfast and lunch options and are open from about 09:00-13:00 (though times vary).

Dim sum brunch

The dim sum brunch is popular in Chinese restaurants worldwide.^[11] It consists of a variety of stuffed buns, dumplings, and other savory or sweet food items that have been steamed, deep-fried, or baked. Customers pick small portions from passing carts, as the kitchen continuously produces and sends out more freshly prepared dishes. Dim sum is usually eaten at a mid-morning, midday, or mid-afternoon teatime.

Special occasions

Brunch is prepared by restaurants and hotels for special occasions, such as weddings, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Easter Sunday.

In other languages

A brunch service

French

The Office québécois de la langue française accepts "brunch" as a valid word but also provides a synonym déjeuner-buffet. Note that, however, in Quebec, déjeuner alone (even without the qualifying adjective petit) means "breakfast".^[12] In Quebec, the word—when Francized—is pronounced [bʁɔ̃ʃ].^[13]

German

German-speaking countries readily adopt Anglicisms, and "brunch" is no exception, defining it as "a combination of breakfast and lunch."^[14]

Chinese

Chinese word “早午饭” is defined as brunch, “早饭” means breakfast and “午饭” means lunch in Chinese. The combination of “早饭” and “午饭” is “早午饭”, as known as brunch.

Other places

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

'Friday Brunch' is considered^[15] something of an institution in Dubai. Many large hotels and restaurants offer an all inclusive drinks and food buffet during early afternoons, and large groups of expatriates and tourists make this the highlight of their weekend, with parties going on well into the night.

Canada

In many regions of Canada, in particular in Southern Ontario, brunch is popular on Sundays when families will often host relatives or friends in their dining room. The typical brunch can last a few hours and go late into the afternoon. Montreal-style bagels may be served alongside egg dishes, waffles or crepes, smoked meat or fish, fruit, salads, cheese, and dessert. Often, champagne or wine will be served and following the meal tea or coffee is usually consumed.

Many restaurants offer brunch service as well, and the Leslieville neighbourhood of Toronto is sometimes called the brunch capital of Toronto^[16] as many renowned establishments serve brunch in that neighbourhood.

In Canada, brunch is served in private homes using homemade foods and in restaurants. In both cases, brunch typically consists of coffee,^[17] tea, fruit juices,^[18] breakfast foods including pancakes,^[19] waffles,^[20] and french toast;^[21] meats such as ham,^[22] bacon^[23] and sausages;^[24] egg dishes such as scrambled eggs,^[25] omelettes^[26] and Eggs Benedict;^[27] bread products such as toast,^[28] bagels^[29] or croissants;^[30] pastries^[31] or cakes such as cinnamon rolls or coffee cake;^[32] and fresh, cut fruit pieces ^[33] or fruit salad. Brunches may also include foods not typically associated with breakfast, such as roasted meats,^[34] quiche,^[35] soup,^[36] smoked salmon^[37] and salads^[38] such as Cobb salad.

When served in a private home or a restaurant, a brunch may be served buffet style,^[39] in which trays of foods and beverages are available and guests can serve themselves and select the items they want, often in an "all-you-can-eat" fashion.^[40] Restaurant brunches may also be served from a menu, in which guests select specific items which are served to them by waitstaff. Restaurant brunch meals range from relatively inexpensive brunches available at diners and family restaurants to expensive brunches served at high-end restaurants and bistros.

South Africa

In South Africa, brunch is a favourite activity of many families. It is globally-distinctive in that only pancakes and fruit are consumed.

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brunch.

Look up brunch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "The Birth of Brunch: Where Did This Meal Come From Anyway?" Smithsonian.com
• Wikibooks Cookbook