# When did grilled egg sandwiches become standard in your world (if ever) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 7, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307 "2019-08-07T17:20:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/1 "2019-08-07T17:20:43Z")
I know McDonald’s introduced the Egg McMuffin in the early 1970s, but I don’t think I became aware of it as a breakfast option until the late '70s or early 1980s. And for a while after that, it seemed to be a McDonald’s-only thing. It was only a bit after that that McDonald’s competitors started introducing grilled egg sandwich-type items for breakfast, like Crossandwiches, etc. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that it seemed to me that egg breakfast sandwiches–defined as cooked egg with cheese and meat (ham, sausage, bacon, etc.) inside bread (English muffins, toast, croissants, etc.) became standard at any cafeteria-style grill, and appeared in some form on almost any breakfast menu. Does this timeline represent the advent of grilled egg breakfast sandwiches for anyone else? Or did they become a staple much earlier than I experienced? ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/2 "2019-08-07T17:46:15Z")
If by _grilled_ you mean fried, then they have been around since forever, although probably not on an English muffin or croissant. My grandmother, born in the nineteenth century, used to make them for me regularly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/3 "2019-08-07T18:07:57Z")
Wikipedia says that the Egg McMuffin was based on Eggs Benedict, which has been around since the 19th century. Fried egg rolls have been around in Britain for who knows how long; you can see a character eating one in the film Quadrophenia in 1979, set 15 years previously. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/4 "2019-08-07T18:16:07Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > If by _grilled_ you mean fried Well, fried or scrambled. But my point was to distinguish it from things like egg salad. The bread and the eggs and other ingredients are usually cooked on a grill, although I guess they don’t necessarily have to be. > [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > Wikipedia says that the Egg McMuffin was based on Eggs Benedict, which has been around since the 19th century. Well, Eggs Benedict is clearly not a sandwich, and it’s generally served in upper-scale restaurants, not in cafeterias and breakfast stands. > [@](#): > > Fried egg rolls have been around in Britain for who knows how long; you can see a character eating one in the film Quadrophenia in 1979, set 15 years previously. I’ve never encountered that. Is it basically of the form that you would call a sandwich? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/5 "2019-08-07T18:22:31Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’ve never encountered that. Is it basically of the form that you would call a sandwich? Yes, a roll is pretty much the same as what you put a hamburger in (we often call them hamburger rolls rather than ‘buns’). Look up ‘bacon roll’ and imagine fried egg inside it instead. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/6 "2019-08-07T18:44:44Z")
I know I ate many, many fried egg sandwiches starting in the 1950s. Usually at home. I guess I don’t remember ordering them in a diner, but I certainly ordered fried eggs and toast and constructed them on an ad hoc basis. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/7 "2019-08-07T18:50:18Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > If by _grilled_ you mean fried, then they have been around since forever, although probably not on an English muffin or croissant. My grandmother, born in the nineteenth century, used to make them for me regularly. This, right down to the grandmother. Fried egg sandwiches have been around since there have been eggs and bread. ---
**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:** [August 7, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/8 "2019-08-07T19:34:32Z")
Another variation, popular in Chicago, is [the pepper and egg sandwich](https://www.sandwichtribunal.com/2018/03/fridays-in-lent-the-pepper-and-egg-sandwich/). It’s particularly a staple here during Lent, for Catholics who are abstaining from meat on Fridays. I’m not sure how long ago the sandwich was invented, but it’s been a thing here at least since the late '80s, when I moved to Chicago, and I suspect it’s considerably older than that. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/9 "2019-08-07T19:35:12Z")
I’m surprised, because before Egg McMuffins and its subsequent competitors became common, I had never encountered a breakfast egg sandwich, and certainly not a home made one. Every home made breakfast I had seen before that had the eggs, toast, and breakfast meats served separately on a plate. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/10 "2019-08-07T19:37:38Z")
probably since forever, since the Egg McMuffin (and competitors’ versions) have been around longer than me. however, the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve had came from the (now closed) greasy spoon next door to the garage I worked at in high school and college. it was just a fried egg (hard), strips of bacon, slice of american cheese, sprinkle of black pepper in two slices of buttered toast. but it was way better than any fast food thing. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/11 "2019-08-07T21:32:50Z")
Fried egg sandwiches (or fried egg butties) have been a staple of English breakfast times for as long as anyone can remember. You can eat them at any time but it’s most common to have them at breakfast time. Cafes (not cafés, there’s a difference) have always sold them. Don’t diners do that in the US too? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/12 "2019-08-07T22:38:46Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Fried egg sandwiches (or fried egg butties) have been a staple of English breakfast times for as long as anyone can remember. You can eat them at any time but it’s most common to have them at breakfast time. Cafes (not cafés, there’s a difference) have always sold them. Don’t diners do that in the US too? They’re pretty common now, but many places don’t serve them afternoon. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/13 "2019-08-08T01:53:48Z")
New York City has been putting two scrambled eggs on a roll along with bacon (or ham, sausage) and melted cheese for ages. Newbies who move from California’s eyes regularly bug out at this fairly obvious sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/14 "2019-08-08T02:03:29Z")
Anecdotally, they do seem to be on slightly more menus in the last decade or so, but they have been a staple item at delis for forever. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2019, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/15 "2019-08-08T02:13:30Z")
I grew up eating fried egg sandwiches with yellow mustard. I don’t remember ham or bacon as an option. Archie Goodwin in the Nero Wolfe books occasionally ordered fried egg sandwiches & milk when he didn’t go home to eat Wolfe’s gormet meals. McDonald’s was astute offering the Egg McMuffin. The ham & cheese makes it so much better ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/16 "2019-08-08T08:04:49Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > New York City has been putting two scrambled eggs on a roll along with bacon (or ham, sausage) and melted cheese for ages. Newbies who move from California’s eyes regularly bug out at this fairly obvious sandwich. TIL Egg McMuffins and Croissanwiches don’t exist in California as far as New Yorkers know. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/17 "2019-08-08T08:12:44Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > New York City has been putting two scrambled eggs on a roll along with bacon (or ham, sausage) and melted cheese for ages. {…} Or [Taylor ham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Pork_Roll) across the river in Jersey. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/18 "2019-08-08T12:25:02Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > New York City has been putting two scrambled eggs on a roll along with bacon (or ham, sausage) and melted cheese for ages. Newbies who move from California’s eyes regularly bug out at this fairly obvious sandwich. Yes, when I first moved to NYC back in the '60s, I remember getting an “egg on a roll” for breakfast in a nearby deli… with or without ham & cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2019, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/19 "2019-08-08T12:32:08Z")
Do hard-boiled eggs count? Because a popular Israeli sandwich is called a “Sabich”, and it consists of a pita stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, fried eggplants, a cucumber, onion and tomato salad, tahini and mango sauce. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2019, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307/20 "2019-08-08T12:56:42Z")
Fried egg sandwiches have been a ‘thing’ in the UK for as long as we’ve had bread and eggs, I suspect. Certainly my Victorian grandmother made them. Served in all ways - sliced bread, bread rolls, with bacon, with sausage, on their own… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-grilled-egg-sandwiches-become-standard-in-your-world-if-ever/838307.md?page=2)