This Unusual Omelet Ingredient Was A Hit 100 Years Ago

From anything you'd find in a garden to the best type of deli meat, omelets are one of those things you can stuff with just about anything. Well, 20th-century folks took that a bit further than most would today, using jelly for an extra dose of fruity sweetness to their morning repaste.

Given that eggs, butter, and jelly were all fairly shelf-stable at the time, it makes sense that someone would eventually try to combine them all. Factor in that grape jam swiftly grew popular after it became a ration during World War I, and most homes had the ingredients lying around already. Like most add-ons for omelets, the typical preparation method involved cooking one side of the egg scramble, layering on some jelly, then folding it over so the ingredients could finish cooking and meld their flavors together. But even if you just used it as a condiment, the result would be something half-savory, half-sweet, with the richness of the egg yolks and butter complementing both.

While it may be an underrated omelet filling today, keep in mind that the early 1920s were rife with economic desperation. The three necessary ingredients were all fairly cheap and available, plus they went well with whatever else you may have lying around, like sharp cheeses or leftover meat from dinner the night before.

While most anything can go in an omelet, not everything can go in one with jelly. Standard add-ins like tomatoes and onions might clash with the sweeter ingredient, but other, more savory ingredients can actually benefit from the extra sugar.

If you want to keep things simple, opt for a French rather than an American omelet style. While the technique may take you a few tries to dial in, this lets the jelly really stand out rather than forcing it to compete with other flavors. Still, you can easily upgrade your French omelet by using duck eggs rather than ones from chickens. The richer yolks give it a creamier texture, making it taste more like a protein-laden dessert than a savory breakfast. A bit of parsley mixed into the egg adds a nice freshness that won't compete with the other ingredients, making it taste a bit more complex.

If you like the fully-loaded American-style omelets, focus on ingredients with a bit of extra heat or fat. Just like hot honey, adding a few chili peppers creates a spicy-sweet combo with the jelly. Similarly, pork absolutely loves to be paired with sugar, and a few bits of pork belly, in just about any form, can give you something similar to a fruity candied bacon. This works especially well with extra-sweet jellies, like blueberry or classic Concord grape, but can work well with tart varieties like raspberry, too.