Brunch for Lunch Day – May 11, 2024

History of Brunch for Lunch Day

Brunch originated in England in the late 19th century and became popular in the United States in the 1930s. The word brunch is a ‘portmanteau’ of breakfast and lunch. Brunch is a type of meal that is usually eaten between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. The meal occasionally is served with an alcoholic drink such as champagne or a cocktail.

The word brunch came to the spotlight in 1895, when it was used in print by Guy Beringer, a British writer. Beringer used the word Brunch in his article titled “Brunch: A Plea” which he wrote for “Hunter’s Weekly.”

According to Beringer, “Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting. 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.”

There is some debate amongst food historians as to what the original form of brunch was when it came into existence. Some say the first brunches were full of meats that were hunted the same day; a kind of hunt breakfast served with fruits, eggs, and sweets. Other historians say that brunches were the meals of Catholics who enjoyed a late-morning meal after their early-morning fasting before going to church.

In America, the elite class adopted brunch as their Sunday routine. For them, it was a luxury affair. Brunch made its way to the United States to Chicago through transcontinental train journeys that were made by Hollywood celebrities. They ordered late morning meals that combined breakfast with lunch at hotels since restaurants were closed on Sundays.

In the 1930s the American middle class adopted brunch for their Sunday routines. Businesswomen, homemakers, and bachelors brought significant changes to the nature of brunch, making it cheap and easy to make. In 1939, “The New York Times” declared Sunday a two-meal day. By the 1960s more people accepted brunch and brunch cookbooks started getting published during the forties. Another reason why brunch became so popular amongst the middle class was that the two-in-one homemade meal was economical. Bacon, homemade jams, tea, juices, coffee, and doughnuts became quite popular to eat on a late morning with friends.

Now, brunch is a more popular meal than many. The history of brunch is the history of changing patterns in how Americans eat, interact, and go about their lives. Even in recent years, brunch remains more popular in some regions of the United States and among some groups of people than others.