Americans Used To Eat A Very Off-The-Wall Food For Breakfast

When you picture an all-American breakfast, you may imagine a plate full of bacon, sausage, eggs, and usually a slice of toast or a muffin to balance it all out. But the "most important meal of the day" didn't always look balanced and appetizing.

American breakfasts varied wildly by decade. Food tied closely to the socio-economic status of most households — during hard times such as war and financial low points, families had to get more creative with their dishes, hence breakfast items like the creamed corn pie. But one of the most unexpected breakfast foods emerged in the 1900s.

According to chef and author Marion Harland, families would go all out on breakfasts before the Great Depression-era food trends took over. It was totally normal to enjoy upscale meats, especially veal. The cut of young beef is usually enjoyed as a dinnertime delicacy now, but back then, the meat was jellied and eaten with rice or eggs. We cannot imagine our modern-day breakfast protein jiggling around in a vat of jelly. The turn of the 20th century had Americans enjoying cold meat with rice covered in gravy if they were lucky and a mixture of canned fruits and hominy if they weren't. In the 1920s, it wasn't uncommon for people to enjoy fish for breakfast, which is seldom seen on modern US breakfast menus. The 1970s brought Mcdonald's breakfast and Starbucks to the US, but one of the most common breakfast items was actually chicken liver.

If you can't start your morning without a smoothie and a protein bar, be thankful you're enjoying breakfast in the 21st century. One hundred years ago, Americans didn't have the luxury to throw a toaster strudel in the microwave or pour a bowl of colorful cereal for a quick and easy breakfast — these modern-day breakfast staples hadn't been invented yet. It wasn't until the 1960s that the cereal we know today hit shelves; before then, most people commonly enjoyed bits of protein and wheat products such as oatmeal and toast.

Americans may have been eating platters of fish and gelatinous meats for breakfast in the past, but it isn't just our ancestors who have a history of unusual breakfasts. Even with innovative technology that lets you craft a breakfast sandwich in under two minutes, Americans still enjoy some rather odd food pairings as their first meal. For those with a major sweet tooth first thing in the morning, breakfast has become synonymous with dessert. In places like Los Angeles and San Diego, Food Network reports that local favorite breakfast dishes share more with a decadent dessert, such as a red velvet waffle or a french toast platter full of peanut butter and bananas. If you travel up North towards Seattle, you'll likely find residents enjoying a "bloody joe," which combines the colors and flavors of the Bloody Mary cocktail with a platter of eggs and grits — some people even add vodka.