# When did eggs become the breakfast staple (in the US)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932 "2019-02-20T23:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/41 "2019-02-22T12:16:01Z")
“Pop tart” and “toaster struedel” are two different brand names for essentially the same product: A pastry consisting of two thin layers of breadstuff with a sticky, sugary layer sealed in between, possibly glazed on one outer surface. They can be eaten either cold, or warmed up in a toaster, and make for an extremely quick and convenient breakfast or snack. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/42 "2019-02-22T12:27:25Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I agree that this is not true. Outside the US, most countries do not refrigerate eggs. In the supermarket, they are often just on shelves rather than in a cooler. The egg shell is an excellent barrier against the entry of bacteria, and as long as the shell is not cracked eggs can be kept at or near room temperature for weeks at least without going bad. > > There is an issue with Salmonella in eggs in the US (which tries to control it through washing and refrigeration) as opposed to other countries (which control it through sanitation and vaccination). Refrigeration slows the growth of Salmonella, but it can still be present in refrigerated eggs. Studies in the UK, however, have found no difference in bacterial levels in refrigerated and unrefrigerated eggs after two weeks. In any case, this is not a case of eggs “going bad” in the sense of rotting, but contamination. Quite right, in fact if you think about it, eggs make a pretty great choice of breakfast when you \*don’t \*have a fridge. Here in the UK, I buy my eggs from open shelves in the supermarket, and then store them in the fridge, mainly because it’s the most convenient place to put them. I don’t think the reality is that most people eat eggs for breakfast, but more that we associate them with the breakfasts we relish and have as a weekend treat. Nobody ever starts a thread asking ‘when did toast become the breakfast staple’. Even though it probably is (at least I would say it is here). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/43 "2019-02-22T15:16:56Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Yeah, but eating cereal is the plurality (but not quite the majority) choice for breakfast. Yes, some people eat whatever they find in the refrigerator. I don’t know what you mean by “pop-tarts toaster strudel ect”. It would help if you used commas to separate items. I presume that a pop-tart is one item. I guess that toaster strudel is another item, although I only learned just now that any such thing existed. Those are a couple things among the various foods that people eat when they just look in the refrigerator for something. Cold pizza is another common item, as has already been pointed out. In addition, many breakfast cereals in the U.S. (particularly those targeted at kids) are heavily sweetened. One might argue that a bowl of, say, Cap’n Crunch is not much better than eating a candy bar for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/44 "2019-02-22T15:34:16Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I don’t think the reality is that most people eat eggs for breakfast, but more that we associate them with the breakfasts we relish and have as a weekend treat. You don’t have a full English every morning? Are you even British? 😃 in case anyone was wondering. Yes, I agree with this “weekend treat” idea. Although I am wondering why people are listing “pancakes” as though they are a non-egg option… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/45 "2019-02-22T17:46:01Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You don’t have a full English every morning? Are you even British? > > 😃 in case anyone was wondering. Yes, I agree with this “weekend treat” idea. > > Although I am wondering why people are listing “pancakes” as though they are a non-egg option… They’ll come out without eggs–I’ve done so when I’ve realized too late that I’m out of eggs. But pancakes are way more a pain in the ass than eggs. I literally make eggs every single weekday as a quick breakfast for my wife as I get everybody ready for school and work and drive them. Heat up a pan, pop some English muffins in the toaster, crack some eggs, and by the time the toast is done, so are my eggs for a little egg sandwich. For me, making pancakes is “special breakfast” food. I don’t like the things myself, but when my kids want a weekend breakfast where I have more time to make something, it’s usually pancakes or Dutch babies. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/46 "2019-02-22T18:58:36Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Although I am wondering why people are listing “pancakes” as though they are a non-egg option… They’re doing so because, while most pancake recipes involve eggs, the eggs are primarily a binding agent. They’re not the focus of the flavor or presentation, and most posters are taking the OP to mean egg-focused dishes, not just anything that incorporates eggs. Pancakes, muffins, scones, or any number of other baked goods that might appear at breakfast may involve eggs, but no one decides to grab a muffin because they want “eggs for breakfast”. You could make an argument for quiche to be on-topic, though. Do people eat quiche for breakfast? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/47 "2019-02-22T19:01:57Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I don’t think the reality is that most people eat eggs for breakfast, but more that we associate them with the breakfasts we relish and have as a weekend treat. Well, we have hens, so there are always eggs to be used. I have an egg sandwich every morning and our dogs each get a scrambled egg as an appetizer before breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/48 "2019-02-22T20:41:21Z")
From what I’ve read of American eating habits during the Civil War era, eggs were not all that often on the menu for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/49 "2019-02-22T20:58:08Z")
heres an explanation of the whole category > **[Toaster pastry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toaster_pastry)** > > A toaster pastry is a type of bakers' confection. They are thin rectangles often made of rice bran, molasses, flour, syrup, and shortening, which on one side usually has a coating of icing that has been dried with starch. They contain sweet, syrupy fillings, often fruit preserves or other flavoring ingredients such as chocolate or cinnamon. As the name suggests, toaster pastries are often heated in a toaster or oven. They are already fully cooked, however, and may be eaten unheated as well. > The... Although it dosent note that the toaster strudel (which is frozen) has various versions that are filled with eggs bacon sausage and cheese ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/50 "2019-02-22T21:12:04Z")
well ok it does now …… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/51 "2019-02-22T22:50:51Z")
French Toast is a common way to use eggs. 3 Eggs & 3 tablespoon milk, salt, beaten together with a fork. Dip bread and cook in skillet with butter or Pam. I make it at least once a week instead of pancakes. I like a little strawberry jelly on mine. I think of it as scrambled eggs already on the bread. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/52 "2019-02-22T23:40:13Z")
It was either just after, or just before, chicken was. Beyond that it’s hard to pin down. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/53 "2019-02-23T19:01:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > French Toast is a common way to use eggs. > > 3 Eggs & 3 tablespoon milk, salt, beaten together with a fork. > > Dip bread and cook in skillet with butter or Pam. > > I make it at least once a week instead of pancakes. I like a little strawberry jelly on mine. > > I think of it as scrambled eggs already on the bread. I love the fact that some people call it **Lost Bread.** I plan ahead and slice a loaf of French bread (fairly thick slices) on a bias, and leave it out overnight. Before I dip each slice I smash it down a bit. Cinnamon, _real_ vanilla extract, and freshly ground nutmeg, egg, vanilla soy milk beaten. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/54 "2019-02-23T19:07:39Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Before refrigerators were common, eggs went bad very quickly, and a bad egg can make you very sick (I speak from personal experience)\> Eggs were probably gotten in the early morning and eaten right away. A chicken hen left to its own devices with lay a clutch of eggs over a period of weeks, before she settles down to set on them. How could eggs go bad quickly given that primary need to NOT go bad quickly? Even unfertilized chicken eggs can sit at room temperature for a couple of weeks and be fine to eat. That is a part of egg wisdom that has apparently been lost to modern life, but any farmer knows it. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/55 "2019-02-23T20:15:03Z")
When did eggs become the breakfast staple in the US? Was that not the claim to fame of Edward Bernays, the father of the Public Relations/Marketing/Propaganda business? He was hired by a meat packing company to help sell more bacon (and with it, presumably, lots of eggs). He ran a campaign that uses a survey of medical opinion that a big breakfast was a healthy way for Americans to start the day. His was also famous for the ‘Torches of Freedom’ campaign to popularise smoking amongst women that got American hooked on Big Tobacco. The man was a menace and in his later years boasted that he inspired Joseph Goebbels to use the same techniques for Nazi propaganda. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/56 "2019-02-23T21:14:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I love the fact that some people call it **Lost Bread.** From the French name for it, _pain perdu_. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/57 "2019-02-23T21:25:46Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > A chicken hen left to its own devices with lay a clutch of eggs over a period of weeks, before she settles down to set on them. How could eggs go bad quickly given that primary need to NOT go bad quickly? Even unfertilized chicken eggs can sit at room temperature for a couple of weeks and be fine to eat. That is a part of egg wisdom that has apparently been lost to modern life, but any farmer knows it. Yep, you can leave eggs out for weeks if you need to after they’ve been laid. However, once you refrigerate them, you need to keep them refrigerated…when you take them out they start to sweat, and their pores open up, and that makes room for bacteria to get in. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/58 "2019-02-23T21:30:59Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > That is a part of egg wisdom that has apparently been lost to modern life, but any farmer knows it. It is my understanding that the reason we need to refrigerate commercial eggs here in the US is because they are completely washed off, and there is a protective layer that is removed in this process. I’m pretty sure we’ve had several threads here at the Dope about this, because in other countries, it is not usual to keep eggs in the fridge, and in those countries, they don’t wash their eggs in the manner we do here in the USA. ETA: [Ah, article here about it](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/insider/why-do-americans-refrigerate-their-eggs.html). > [@](#): > > With the cuticle gone, it is essential — and, in the United States, the law — that eggs stay chilled from the moment they are washed until you are ready to cook them. Japan also standardized a system of egg washing and refrigeration after a serious salmonella outbreak in the 1990s. > > In Europe and Britain, the opposite is true. European Union regulations prohibit the washing of eggs. The idea is that preserving the protective cuticle is more important than washing the gunk off. > > At most American farm stands and farmers’ markets, eggs are sold unrefrigerated. And many cooks store unwashed eggs from small producers on their counters, washing them just before they use them — or not at all, if they are getting dropped into boiling water. > > However, if you buy farm eggs chilled, it’s better to keep them chilled. Bringing them to room temperature if you’re not going to cook them right away can cause condensation, which can damage the cuticle or encourage mildew. A refrigerated egg, no matter the source, will be good for four or five weeks. Unrefrigerated eggs are best used within a week, though they may be fine for two. My experience is that unrefrigerated eggs last well past two weeks, close to a month. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/59 "2019-02-23T22:43:59Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > When did eggs become the breakfast staple in the US? > > Was that not the claim to fame of Edward Bernays, the father of the Public Relations/Marketing/Propaganda business? > > He was hired by a meat packing company to help sell more bacon (and with it, presumably, lots of eggs). He ran a campaign that uses a survey of medical opinion that a big breakfast was a healthy way for Americans to start the day. > > His was also famous for the ‘Torches of Freedom’ campaign to popularise smoking amongst women that got American hooked on Big Tobacco. > > The man was a menace and in his later years boasted that he inspired Joseph Goebbels to use the same techniques for Nazi propaganda. > > :dubious: So…Bernays got saucy with us? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932/60 "2019-02-23T22:49:09Z")
I first learned eggs don’t have to be refrigerated from _The Wind in the Willows,_, with the illustration of a basket of eggs hanging from Mr. Badger’s kitchen ceiling. Along with smoked hams and other things that don’t need to be kept cold. Man, I have wanted to have breakfast over at Badger’s house since I was, like, NINE. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-eggs-become-the-breakfast-staple-in-the-us/829932.md?page=4)