Welcome back to our series on fantastic breakfasts (and where to find them)! Our first blog was pretty comprehensive, but there are so many breakfasts we did not get a chance to cover. This is because there’s so many amazing breakfasts out there, all of which deserve recognition. If there’s one place that knows about incredible morning meals, it’s our breakfast and brunch restaurant in Loveland. Taste Local is the place you can trust for savory Sundays and wonderful Wednesdays, and pretty much any day when you need a morning pick-me-up. Find out more about fantastic breakfasts and where they come from, and stop by our brunch restaurant!
Bagels
Interestingly enough, the concept of having bread with a hole in the middle is a pretty ancient one. This was done for centuries by a variety of cultures, many of which did so as a means for easier transportation. When bread had a hole in the middle, people could put it on a stick or on some string, making it easier to carry (you have to remember, this was in the days before plastic bags or any type of convenient packaging). Egyptian, Roman, and Chinese societies all have documentation and reference to bread resembling bagels.
Bagels eventually made their way westward to Europe, and the manner in which they were created adapted throughout this transition. They eventually started being boiled, which gave the flavor that’s unique to bagels (versus other types of bread). We don’t know the exact time and method in which bagels made their way to the US, but as Slate points out, “70 bakeries existed on the Lower East side [of New York] by 1900.” This was where bagels started taking off in New York, and their influence has, of course, spread across the country.
From cinnamon raisin to unicorn to everything bagels, there’s no limit to the ways in which bagels have adapted. We might be biased, but we think our take on the classic bagel is tough to beat. With herbed cream cheese, tomato, avocado, and jalapeño, our bagel is a savory option that’s sure to make your day. Try it for yourself at our brunch restaurant, open Wednesday through Sunday!
Bread Pudding
This is often more considered a dessert than a breakfast, but if you’ve ever had chocolate cake first thing in the morning, you know that the rules of breakfast are meant to be broken. Bread pudding had some pretty humble beginnings, not unlike many foods that are considered more upscale nowadays. Ideally, food should never be wasted, but in the 11th and 12th centuries in England, this was especially true. Bread that went stale needed to be used, but was rather unenjoyable to consume. People started layering stale bread in a dish, then pouring custard over the top before baking.
Different approaches to bread pudding have been taken repeatedly throughout history. In Mexico, the introduction and spread of Catholicism also brought several food influences, and led to the creation of Capirotada, a flavorful bread pudding served during Lent. Bread pudding can be found in countries around the globe, such as Malaysia, Aruba, Panama, and Belgium, to name a few. The good news is you don’t have to travel all that far to get a delicious dish of bread pudding. Our breakfast restaurant has a sweet bread pudding that’s served with seasonal fruit, and for only $6, it’s a price that can’t be beat.
Pancakes
Flapjacks, hotcakes, super tasty—however they’re called, pancakes are a breakfast restaurant staple. Interestingly enough, the concept behind a pancake—creating dough out of ground up grains, mixing it with water, and cooking it on a heated flat surface—may have begun in prehistoric times. Evidence from the Stone Age suggests that people had been making pancakes for thousands of years, even if the end result was not as tasty as the fluffy breakfast food we know and love (syrup and butter definitely help).
And while maple sap and sugar (and the corresponding syrup) is highly native to North America and was utilized ingeniously amongst indigenous people for millennia, other cultures also found ways to sweeten this delightful breakfast. The Greeks and Romans used honey on their pancakes; in Victorian England, people used different herbs and spices. Even Thomas Jefferson was known to love pancakes!
Our pancake recipe may very well be your new favorite, considering we make homemade blueberry pancakes and serve them with a lemon curd. Each of our breakfasts are served with a fruit skewer, but you have the option to add on praline bacon, regular bacon, or sausage as well. Basically this means you just need to come down to Taste Local ASAP.
Coffee
While not a breakfast food, per se, coffee is our life blood and can never be forgotten. Coffee is a beverage necessity that’s enjoyed across every continent and culture. It seems hard to believe, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, coffee got its start in Ethiopia. As legend would have it, a goat herder noticed his animals were exceptionally energetic after eating berries from a native plant. The man, named Kaldi, took these berries to a monastery, which were then brewed into a beverage. It eventually made its way to the Arabian peninsula, and by the 15th century, coffee was being cultivated, traded, and sold.
From the Arabian peninsula, coffee traveled to Europe in the 17th century, and the rest is history. There are any number of ways that coffee can be enjoyed and consumed, and all of them are actually the best thing ever. At Taste Local, we have cold pressed coffee and bottomless coffee options, which creates a perfect opportunity to hole up on a weekend morning with a book or some work to complete. Or, enjoy a cup of joe with any of our fabulous and previously mentioned breakfasts. There’s a latte be said about pairing a quintessential cup of coffee with a stellar brunch.
Some of the most fantastic breakfasts have had some equally fantastic histories. Our favorite morning meals come from so many places and times throughout history, and all of them have continued to maintain their relevance, gracing tables and breakfast restaurants still today. It’s incredible to look at so many of the fantastic breakfasts we consider to be staples and examine where they come from. Yet one of the most remarkable things of all is that you can find your version of a fabulous morning meal at our Loveland breakfast restaurant. From blueberry pancakes to churro french toast and everything in between, Taste Local is here to provide the savory and sweet flavors you crave, with the fresh ingredients you deserve. Stop by our brunch restaurant today!