# When did potatoes and fruit become part of an English Breakfast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [April 2, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037 "2023-04-02T17:10:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/41 "2023-04-04T10:12:16Z")
Yeah, I think hash browns can be really nice - and arguably superior to sauteed potato slices. I just can’t quite bring myself to accept them as part of something that calls itself ‘Full English’ ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/42 "2023-04-04T10:32:02Z")
There’s a tv program in the uk called “4 in a bed” … in which pairs of b&b/hotel owners take it in turns to host the others in their establishments for a day/night. That is a good source of Full English Breakfast info. [Here](https://youtu.be/r9ShJpedyyw?t=887) is an example. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/43 "2023-04-04T12:15:52Z")
There are baked beans, and there are [pork and beans](https://www.campbells.com/products/beans/pork-beans-2/). ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/44 "2023-04-04T13:45:41Z")
Are we distinguishing between Hash browns and home fries? Locally at least, home fries are chopped up fairly small chunks of potatoes (plus diced onions usually) sort of scramble fried loose, while hash browns are shredded potatoes generally wadded up into patties or similar, maybe with some flour added to make them stick together better. Which ones are showing up in your English breakfasts? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/45 "2023-04-04T14:07:54Z")
We were just in London for a couple of days, and my wife’s priorities were all museums. She asked what mine were… “Full English breakfast, classic pub lunch, fish and chips.” I did each twice. Both breakfasts listed hashbrowns, and I imagined fluffy, shredded potatoes. But both mornings, the shredded potatoes were compressed into a small triangle (2x3x1"thick). One place, they came with a paper wrapper holding half of it, presumably to facilitate picking it up to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/46 "2023-04-04T14:11:50Z")
> [@digs](#): > > the shredded potatoes were compressed into a small triangle (2x3x1"thick). Almost certainly from the local supermarket. [![](https://digitalcontent.api.tesco.com/v2/media/ghs/1655fff7-bf7e-4186-8997-cb083375d034/4d2d285a-cb18-4de5-8efb-6b6cf2fae2be.jpeg?h=225&w=225) ](https://digitalcontent.api.tesco.com/v2/media/ghs/1655fff7-bf7e-4186-8997-cb083375d034/4d2d285a-cb18-4de5-8efb-6b6cf2fae2be.jpeg?h=225&w=225) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/47 "2023-04-04T14:29:22Z")
That’s them! A little disappointing, but hey, I was clearly having an authentic English breakfast. And, look, there’s a grilled to-mah-to on the label, so clearly intended to be part of the Full English. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/48 "2023-04-04T17:13:55Z")
Those were sold as “Potato Cakes” by the fast food joint Arby’s. They dropped the item, and Mrs. Plant (v.3.0) still hates them. I have wondered if the English came to know of pork and beans during the Second World War, when too many Americans were getting ready to invade Europe. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/49 "2023-04-04T17:18:15Z")
Per wiki: _In 1886, Heinz Baked Beans were first sold at the Fortnum & Mason department store in London. After opening its first overseas office in London in 1896, the company opened its first UK factory in Peckham, south London, in 1905. This was followed by a second factory at Harlesden, north-west London in 1919._ The Brits have known Heinz Beans for over a century. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/50 "2023-04-04T17:20:52Z")
I am very glad that we were not a bad influence on them, and ignorance has been fought. What more can one ask for? ---
**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:** [April 4, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/51 "2023-04-04T17:23:54Z")
You’re still partially right: _So what are the origins of beans on toast? Heinz claims that an executive invented the dish as a marketing ploy in 1927, but it’s likely the dish is still around today because **it was so common as a cheap protein during World War II** , for breakfast, dinner, or both._ ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/52 "2023-04-04T17:29:53Z")
> > Both breakfasts listed hashbrowns, and I imagined fluffy, shredded potatoes. But both mornings, the shredded potatoes were compressed into a small triangle (2x3x1"thick). \<\< I have to agree: prepackaged ‘hash browns’ are rather nasty. To use a Crocodile Dundee quote: you can eat 'em but they taste like shit. Properly prepared small roasted breakfast potatoes, on the other hand, I find quite acceptable, even if they aren’t very traditional! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/53 "2023-04-04T20:32:43Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A description I’ve used is “Just imagine it’s 1870, half past four in the morning, and this is your only chance to eat before you head off for a seven-mile walk to a 14-hour shift at the orphan factory with no breaks and no safety gear”. LOL. Not so good when you’re heading off to sit in front of a computer all day! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/54 "2023-04-05T06:14:43Z")
A full fry-up breakfast wasn’t that likely in an 1870 factory worker’s house (more likely a hunk of bread and a smear of jam). Much more likely in a family with much more time and money. And some more on hash browns: > **[Bubble and shriek! Why war has been declared on the humble hash brown](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/apr/03/bubble-and-shriek-why-war-has-been-declared-on-the-humble-hash-brown)** > > The UK is enraptured by those golden triangles of grated and fried potato – but not everyone is happy to find them in their full English breakfast ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/55 "2023-04-05T06:23:20Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > A full fry-up breakfast wasn’t that likely in an 1870 factory worker’s house (more likely a hunk of bread and a smear of jam). You were lucky to have bread! We had to smear our jam on rocks! Seriously, though, a Full English seems to me the kind of thing to eat under one of two circumstances; you’ve got a long day of hard work ahead of you, or you plan on doing absolutely nothing that day. I had a full Irish breakfast (the same as an English, but with black and white puddings) when in Vegas last year and I was full until dinner. [https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/300112405\_5471071166265355\_5453584307306555086\_n.jpg?\_nc\_cat=102&ccb=1-7&\_nc\_sid=8bfeb9&\_nc\_ohc=cyAF9KLXuEoAX-lY61B&\_nc\_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00\_AfCb4NnGuYSEYcLSjgMjrn-0OyR-fMdn8Etv4pFhQu1eqw&oe=6431D84F](https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/300112405_5471071166265355_5453584307306555086_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=cyAF9KLXuEoAX-lY61B&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AfCb4NnGuYSEYcLSjgMjrn-0OyR-fMdn8Etv4pFhQu1eqw&oe=6431D84F) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/56 "2023-04-05T12:41:56Z")
Mmmmmmmmmmmm. And a pint too - Classy ! (note lack of potatoes …) I don’t know why some places put the beans in a separate bowl - chuck 'em on the plate with everything else ! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/57 "2023-04-05T12:53:03Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A description I’ve used is “Just imagine it’s 1870, half past four in the morning, and this is your only chance to eat before you head off for a seven-mile walk to a 14-hour shift at the orphan factory with no breaks and no safety gear”. I’m not a heavy eater by nature, but that sentence put me in the mood to guzzle down a triple-bypass breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/58 "2023-04-05T14:06:15Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > it could be an option in a range I’ve eaten in many English bed and breakfasts, and many of them besides offering Full English Breakfasts (which you could ask not to get some of the items) would have a table where you could get fruit and cereal and perhaps other things on your own. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/59 "2023-04-05T14:19:29Z")
That’s what I was imagining ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037/60 "2023-04-05T17:21:35Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > I don’t know why some places put the beans in a separate bowl - chuck 'em on the > plate with everything else ! Easier to throw away when they’re in a separate bowl. But that empty space in the middle of the plate is just begging for a pile of chips. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-potatoes-and-fruit-become-part-of-an-english-breakfast/982037.md?page=4)