full irish breakfast
My wife wanted to go to Ireland for our 25th Anniversary. I would have preferred Australia, but I know how things work. So to Ireland we went for 2 weeks. If you ever get the opportunity, it is something I would highly recommend. I have been back twice and we are planning another trip this spring. We toured the country in a rental car visiting Bed & Breakfasts throughout. (Next time Herself can drive and shop, I plan to bicycle.) The Irish Failte (Welcome) Board has a network of these just about everywhere and it is an economical way to go.
Of course, as the name implies, you get a bed for the night and a hearty Irish Breakfast to send you on your way. And what a breakfast it is! It is considered the most important meal of the day. It came about because it was meant to send people off to work all day. Now it will get you through noon in a busy day of touring, hiking, and walking.
The Irish breakfast includes eggs, meat, and bread. So far so good. It usually begins with two eggs, sunny-side-up and two meats, bacon and sausage.Thick sliced Irish brown bread slathered with butter and topped with preserves help to set up the table.
The eggs are always the freshest, you can count on that. The bacon is not like any you have experienced in America. Not strips of pat with a little meat, Irish bacon, also known as back bacon or rashers, is very lean, more like Canadian bacon and cut into strips. Irish brown bread is not simply a mixture of several grains, but is often made with freshly milled oatmeal. The thick slabs of bread help the Irish breakfast to be filling as well as delicious.
But wait there’s more. Most Irish breakfast have other elements that help to round out your meal. Grilled tomatoes, an excellent sources of vitamins, add another layer of taste to the meal. A blood pudding, or black pudding, is also served, adding another texture to the experience. Sometimes, white pudding is also served along side. Beverages for the Irish breakfast will also feature plenty of fresh milk, orange juice, and Irish breakfast tea, a lighter blend of teas than would be consumed at other times during the day. Coffee is also available.
Some B&Bs will include oak-, or cold-, smoked salmon, mushrooms, and potatoes. They will often make available a selection of breakfast cereal, including Irish oatmeal, and pastries, croissants, and Irish soda bread.
Irish oatmeal is 
something you really must try. It is made from steel cut oats and is prepared the old-fashioned way. You can get McCann’s at many supermarkets or at Trader Joe’s (where I get mine) or even on line. I include a recipe for it on this blog, cooked overnight in a slow cooker or crockpot. It can also be cooked in a rice cooker, especially if yours has a porridge setting..
The food is not the only thing. When you come down in the morning to the dining room, you will find it set with the best linens, silverware, and china. That, plus the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen sets you up for the experience. You hostess is bright and cheery always offering a smile, feeling of welcome, and a “Good morning.” My favorite greeting was on a dreary drizzly morning, not atypical of Irish mornings, and our hostess greeted us “Welcome, ’tis a soft Irish morning.”
If you’d like to put on an Irish breakfast of your own, see what eHow has to say about it.
