Breakfast has gone through many different phases in the past century or so.
In 1916, the first electric refrigerator went on sale for $900, which was a heaping stack of cash back then. That made keeping produce around the house much easier for those who could afford it.
In the mid-20th century, it was customary to eat a bigger, heartier breakfast to give you ample energy throughout the day, with pancakes and bacon galore.
More recently, it's become a trend to eat a lighter, healthier breakfast. Green smoothies abound, as well as açaí bowls adorned with goji berries and gluten-free granola.
So we've come a long way in the past century alone. But what about before that? What about all of the generations of people that woke up every morning in ancient Greece, or even in Victorian London?
These nine unique approaches to breakfast throughout the ages might be a bit surprising, but a few of them actually sound pretty darn delicious.
Which of these breakfast ideas from history would you like to wake up to each morning?
Please SHARE with your breakfast-loving, Sunday-brunch-munching family and friends on Facebook!
Thumbnail sources: Herts & Essex Observer, Wikimedia Commons
1. Beer, Bread, And Onions
In ancient Egypt, peasants ate one meal daily, most likely before their grueling day of work. How does a sparse plate of bread and onions paired with beer sound to sustain a hard day's work under the Pharaoh's command? Wealthier Egyptians, as pictured above, added fruits, beans, garlic, and leeks to their breakfasts.
2. Wine-Dipped Barley Bread
Around the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in ancient Greece, people would rise and eat barley bread dipped in wine. They might also have had figs or olives on the side.
3. Tagenites, Or Pancakes
Ancient Greek pancakes, called tagenites, were made of a simple mixture of flour and water (with the option of honey), or with wheat flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk.
4. Leftover Meat
In ancient Rome, breakfast was called jentaculum, and it consisted of meat left over from the evening before, with bread, cheese, olives, and raisins. This would be accompanied by wine, possibly mixed with honey and spices. This doesn't sound too shabby.
5. Clotted Cream And Stewed Beans
In 1800s Egypt, people didn't eat breakfast until noon, and along with the clotted cream and beans came coffee, eggs, butter, curds, and a smoke from a pipe.
6. Locusts
Folks in certain Arab nations in the 1800s combined locusts with butter and spread it over unleavened bread for breakfast.
7. Rye Bread And Cheese
When breakfast was eaten in 13th-century Europe, it would be a simple meal of rye bread and cheese, accompanied by about a quarter gallon of a low-grade beer.
8. Deviled Kidneys
Along with more familiar breakfast staples such as eggs and bacon, well-off Victorian Londoners had deviled kidneys, anchovy paste, and preserved tongues as regular breakfast foods.
9. Cold Fish
Before the 1600s in Britain, bread, cold fish or meat, and ale was the regular morning meal.
Would you ever eat any of these breakfasts from the past? Please SHARE with family and friends on Facebook!
