By CHRIS SANDS
How Eggs Became The World's Most Popular Breakfast Food
Until the 17th century, morning meals weren't part of the Western diet. When the first breakfasts appeared, they featured eggs, foreshadowing their role in today’s food culture.
In 1620, Tobias Venner, an English physician, recommended eggs for breakfast, establishing the morning ritual in England. Early cookbooks suggested two eggs, poached or scrambled.
Eggs took some time to become a breakfast standard in America. During the Colonial era, for example, the morning meal featured cornmeal staples like corn pone and Johnnycakes.
During the late 1800s, breakfast menus evolved to include more egg-based dishes, giving rise to the beloved, Hollandaise-drizzled breakfast and brunch staple, eggs Benedict.
In the 1920s, Edward Bernays, a PR pioneer, boosted bacon's image by having 5,000 doctors endorse bacon and eggs as a healthy pairing, cementing its status as a breakfast classic.