Traditional Irish Breakfasts

Have you heard the quote, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper?”  We’re sure this motto was referring to traditional Irish breakfasts.

If you are traveling to Ireland, you will definitely have to indulge in traditional Irish breakfasts and start your days out on the right foot while you explore the Emerald Isle.

You see, a long time ago farmers’ wives started serving traditional Irish breakfasts to their husbands to help them survive a hard day’s work.  It was always a long time until dinner, so these meals gave men the energy they needed to sustain them throughout the day.  These delicious feasts eventually became a part of Ireland’s culture.

We bet you are wondering what makes traditional Irish breakfasts so special, right?  We’re going to tell you right now all of the goodness you can expect on a breakfast plate in Ireland.

1. Bangers

These are delicious Irish sausages.  They are usually made from pork or a pork and beef combination.  They are typically smaller than German Bratwurst and larger than traditional American sausages.  The term “banger” refers to the sausage’s tendency to burst or explode out of its casing when it’s fried or grilled.

2. Black or Blood Pudding

This is a sausage made from the congealed and cooked blood of cattle or pigs.  The blood is mixed with fillers of beef, pork, bread, fat, oatmeal, and potato to add texture and substance.  If you are brave enough to look past what’s in Black Pudding for traditional Irish breakfasts, then it is very tasty.

3. Boxty

Boxty is an Irish potato pancake similar to flattened hash browns.

4. Irish Beans

These beans are essentially baked beans served with traditional Irish breakfasts.  Both American and Irish baked beans contain tomato sauce, but Irish beans are less sweet due to the lack of brown sugar used.

5. Irish Brown Bread

Irish Brown Bread is a rustic wheat bread made with baking soda.  It’s made in the form of loaves, rounds, scones, or as a triangular flat bread called a Farl. When made with white flour, the bread is then referred to as Irish Soda Bread.

6. Rashers

These are slices of thick bacon from a pig’s back.  Have you seen the T-Shirts, “Bacon Makes Everything Better?”  Well, I think they should have a T-Shirt that says “Rashers Make the World Better.”  That’s how savory they are!  Rashers are round and a fattier version of Canadian bacon.  The Irish cook their bacon with a ham streak methodology for traditional Irish breakfasts.

They consider it done when it’s fully cooked through and brown.  Mmmmm!

7. White Pudding

Basically black pudding without the blood.  The puddings are sold in tubes of sausages, sliced, and then grilled or fried.

8. Top traditional Irish breakfasts off with eggs to your liking and grilled mushrooms and tomatoes on the side.

From crispy rashers, sizzlin’ sausages, tasty puddins’, and of course an egg-perfectly fried.  Spread some Kerrygold Butter on your favorite Irish Soda Bread and a cuppa Barry’s, Beweley’s, or Lion’s Tea.  Who is getting hungry?  The perfect remedy after a lie in or too much whiskey or pints of Guinness from the night before.  Forget Cheerios, fruit, and yogurt and eat breakfast like a king.