Traditional Irish Breakfast: what is a full Irish breakfast
You will see the signs everywhere in Ireland from gourmet restaurants to petrol stations – traditional Irish Breakfast – Full Irish breakfast – Ulster Fry Breakfast or even Irish Fry Up. They are all versions of the same traditional full Irish breakfast served for years throughout the country.
This massive cooked breakfast will fill you up and get you ready for a hard day of hiking, trekking, touring and visiting ancient castles and ruins in Ireland. A full breakfast is a traditional Irish breakfast that has been served for years items have been added and removed over the years but originally the traditional Irish breakfast was made to fortify those who were cutting turf or working on the farms that crisscross the country.
A fry up breakfast in Ireland is part of the food culture of the country. It also sets you up for a day of intense site seeing when you visit the Emerald Isle.
In Ireland you will find a full Irish breakfast all over, even petrol stations have them. Usually, when done at home it’s a weekend or holiday treat because the calorie level is pretty high. Oh, and by the way, unlike some websites that say bubble and squeak are in a full Irish breakfast ignore them that is a British tradition and it is not a breakfast favourite.
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What’s included in a Full Irish breakfast?
What is a traditional Irish breakfast? There is no absolute Irish breakfast recipe it is simply a host of fine ingredients served on a plate and enjoyed for the sheer pleasure of it. Here are the traditional Irish breakfast foods.
- Irish pork sausages – should be a high meat content and be locally made
- Irish rashers – not American streaky bacon
- fried eggs – the white firm and the yolk lovely and runny
- or scrambled eggs or even poached eggs can be involved
- beans – good old baked beans usually Heinz – although some Irish swear this is a British addition
- tomatoes – cut in half and grilled till a little soft and bubbly with caramelized edges
- mushrooms – sliced and sauteed in butter
- hashbrowns – an American tradition usually a triangular shape and they come frozen and are fried till crisp and golden
- fried bread – not so much an Irish thing (except in the North) day-old or stale bread fried till golden in bacon fat
- boxty/fadge/potato pancakes – thin triangular-shaped potato pancakes very traditionally Irish
- Brown Soda bread – called farls in N. Ireland are a triangular-shaped soda bread (traditional in the North) that is fried with some bacon fat
- of course, there is also orange juice and tea on the side
- black pudding – black pudding is made from pork blood and – is surprisingly tasty when grilled or fried
- white pudding is also called drisheen and is made from pork fat
When cooking a Full Irish breakfast at home you need good smoked Irish bacon or Irish rashers (in N. America these are usually called English or Canadian bacon or smoked pork from the loin). You can usually pick up some boxty or potato pancakes at British speciality shops and occasionally some farls. A full Irish breakfast simply isn’t complete without the boxty, farls or potato pancakes as far as I’m concerned.
What are Irish rashers? Irish bacon is traditionally made from the back of the pig as opposed to the pork belly. It is similar to Canadian bacon; both Canadian and Irish bacon is referred to as back bacon but the Irish variety has a little more fat and it is not rolled in bread or cornmeal crumbs.
A typical Irish breakfast is not necessarily a full Irish breakfast meal, most Irish save the traditional Irish breakfast for special occasions or have a much smaller version if they need the energy to do a strenuous job.
Planning a trip to Ireland? Here’s everything you need to know
Traditional Irish breakfast vs English breakfast
What’s the difference between a full English Breakfast and Irish breakfast? Full Irish, Full English, Full Scottish, Ulster Fry, Full Welsh, a fry up, and the full Monty are all names for a meal that is the fuel of a good day. Served throughout the British Isles and Ireland for breakfast this great plate of food is consumed in vast quantities. The main difference between the full English and the full Irish is the use of baked beans which the Irish claim not to have with breakfast. However, I’ve been to many a restaurant in Ireland where breakfast is served with beans.
Truth be told there isn’t much difference between a full Irish breakfast and the “competing” Welsh, Scottish or English versions. Most of these “full” breakfasts have a range of ingredients but usually always a pork sausage and a rasher or two with eggs. Beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and black or white pudding are optional depending on what region of the country you are from.
Generally, it is served only on special occasions or weekends as it does tend to be a bit heavy, but many B&B’s, roadside stops and restaurants offer their version of a Full Irish breakfast. Each area has its own version of the breakfast, often served with regional favourites.
A Full Irish Breakfast – the all-important brown soda bread or boxty
A full Irish breakfast will always include Irish farls otherwise known as potato pancakes, fadge, and boxty, rashers (Irish bacon), black and white pudding, eggs, sausages and sometimes a nice homemade soda bread. You will occasionally these days find pre-made hashbrowns and beans although most Irish will swear that beans should never be added. It may also include a grilled tomato and sauteed mushrooms.
A full English breakfast
A Full English Breakfast tends to begin with a couple of fried eggs, good lean English back bacon, a couple of tasty pork sausages, fried bread (delicious white bread fried in the bacon grease), baked beans, grilled tomato and mushrooms and sometimes black pudding depending on where in England you are.
A full Scottish Breakfast
What is the difference between a full English and a full Scottish breakfast? A Full Scottish will have a couple of eggs, good Scottish bacon, black pudding, white pudding, Lorne sausage, tattie scones, and toast.
A Traditional Welsh Breakfast
Welsh breakfast is very similar but served with Laverbread or laver cakes, these are a kind of pancake that is made with seaweed and oatmeal and is traditionally served with breakfast but sometimes with a roast dinner.
Traditional Irish breakfast – boxty, farls, tattie scones, poundies
Potato “bread” goes by many regional names, including slims, fadge, potato cake, potato pancakes, farls, and tattie scones in Scotland, Boxty (bacstaí in Gaelic) poundy or poundies. These are totally different to Potato Bread as they are a sort of flat unleavened triangular-shaped patty, they are usually made with raw grated potato and some leftover mash although some folks have been known to make them with just leftover mashed potato. There are also Soda Farls which is a leavened potato bread often served at breakfast as well.
Get your Boxty recipe by downloading here
The best recipes for fadge consist of finely grated, raw potato and mashed potato with flour, baking soda, buttermilk and sometimes egg. The mixture is then gently pulled together and rolled into a flat round shape and then cut into triangles.
It is then fried on a griddle until it is browned a little. The “cakes” can then be frozen or kept for a few days in the fridge to be pulled out for breakfast. For breakfast, they are fried in a little butter until the cake gets a slight crisp on the outside.
Best traditional Irish breakfast Dublin?
I can give you a couple of restaurants in Dublin that serve a traditional Irish breakfast and here they are:
Place: Sophie’s Restaurant and Bar Location: 33 Harcourt St, Dublin 2 Breakfast Time: 7.00 am – 11.00 am
What to Expect: Sophie’s Restaurant and Bar is a spacious glasshouse restaurant on the top floor of The Dean Dublin. The top floor it offers 360° degree views of Dublin. It also has an open-air top-floor terrace that looks out over Harcourt Street and Dublin rooftops as far as the eye can see. Their full Irish breakfast also known as ‘The Works’ comes with all the trimmings; sausages, bacon, black and white pudding, fried eggs, beans and toast.
Place: Gerry’s Coffee Shop Location: 6 Montague St, Dublin 2. Breakfast Time: All Day from 8.00am – 7.00pm
What to Expect: Gerry’s Traditional Irish Food & Coffee Shop has been around for 37 years and is run by Gerry and his family. With fresh locally sourced ingredients, from hand-tied ‘Kelly Brothers’ sausages to ‘Ballon’ free-range eggs, you can expect a great value authentic full Irish breakfast, along with great coffee.
Place: Bewley’s Grafton Street Location: 78- 79 Grafton Street, Dublin 2. Breakfast Time: Monday to Friday 7.30 am – 12.30 pm. Saturday and Sunday till 2.30.
What to Expect: Bewley’s Grafton Street is one of Dublin‘s most iconic landmarks. Their full Irish breakfasts have two to choose from; the Bewley’s Breakfast and the Bewley’s Light Breakfast. Sliced bacon, hand-tied sausages, black and white pudding, cherry tomatoes and scrambled eggs are all served with a generous helping of traditional brown soda bread. Add a cup of their world-renowned traditional Irish tea and coffee and you’re set for the day.
So there you have it so enjoy your full Irish breakfast wherever you may find it. This traditional Irish breakfast will keep you going for hours.
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