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
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.
What's the difference between a full Irish breakfast and a full English breakfast? ›
What's the difference between a full English breakfast vs full Irish breakfast? While the basics are still the same, bacon, sausages, eggs, and beans, the main difference is the addition of black pudding in an Irish breakfast. It's a love-it-or-hate-it addition.
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? ›
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 the difference between Irish and Scottish breakfast? ›
Irish Breakfast Tea: a strong, robust tea which is made with a blend of Assam and Ceylon. Scottish Breakfast Tea: the strongest blend of the three breakfast teas with a malty flavour. Made with a blend of Assam and Ceylon, infused with tea from Africa, Kenya and/or Indonesia.
Is Irish breakfast stronger than English breakfast? ›
The main difference between these two breakfast blends is in strength. Irish Breakfast tea is usually stronger than English breakfast, but today, that doesn't always need to be a case. Today, many English Breakfast blends contain at least 2 or more different teas, sometimes even four or more.
What is a full Irish breakfast in Dublin? ›
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 time of day do the Irish eat their main meal? ›
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 kind of sausage is in Irish breakfast? ›
Bangers is a centuries-old traditional British and Irish recipe. They consist of lean and fat pork that is ground up tossed with spices and herbs that is then encased in hog casing to make sausage. There are many variations of Bangers when it comes to the ingredients depending on who makes them.
What do they call bacon in Ireland? ›
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.
Thanks for asking about Irish goodbyes. It's an expression used to describe a completely unannounced departure from a social gathering. It's usually done without letting anyone know you're leaving or saying a word of goodbye.
What fruit is native to Ireland? ›
Summer Berries: Wild strawberry, raspberry, bilberry, Autumn Sweetness: Rosehips, Elderberries, Hawthorn berries, Hazelnuts. Winter Wonders: Wintercress, Crow garlic, Wood sorrel. Edible Seaweeds: Sea spaghetti, Dulse, Sea lettuce, Serrated wrack and Velvet horn.
What food is eaten the most in Ireland? ›
Popular Irish Foods
Irish Stew has been a national dish of Ireland for nearly two hundred years, and is a hearty meal appreciated for its ability to satisfying hunger. Potatoes are also added to all types of soups made with seafood or meats, including salmon, scallops, lobster, oysters, beef, lamb or pork.
What do Irish people put on toast? ›
Looking at toast toppings, nearly 80% of respondents would go for the classic butter option, with jam coming in at 38%, followed by marmalade at 30%. Smashed avocado on toast might be trendy but it only tempts 10% of Irish toast lovers.
What are the 9 items in a full English breakfast? ›
Beans, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, bacon, eggs, black pudding—of all the components that make up a classic full English breakfast, nearly nine out of 10 people in England agree that bacon is the most important.
What is served at an Irish wake? ›
In the past, Irish wakes involved serving food and drinks, especially alcohol, over several days. Visitors would pay their respects, join in song, and share stories of the departed with each other, celebrating their life in the process. That tradition survives in modern Irish wakes, though in cut-down form.
What is super Irish breakfast? ›
Our Super Irish Breakfast is a more caffeinated version of the regular Irish Breakfast. While Irish Breakfast is usually blended with an Assam tea base, our Super Irish Breakfast has even more Assam, which makes the tea maltier, richer and more full-bodied.
What's the difference between white pudding and black pudding? ›
White pudding is broadly similar to black pudding, but does not include blood. Modern recipes consist of suet or fat, oatmeal or barley, breadcrumbs and in some cases pork and pork liver, filled into a natural or cellulose sausage casing.
