09 Apr The Tradition of Brunching

Brunch is a special occasion. A time when you can hang out with your family and friends in the middle of the day without rushing, enjoy that bottomless mimosa along with some great conversation and good laughs while you enjoy some delicious food – including some New York bagels. (Why? Because they are, of course, the best.)

Brunch became a tradition for many, but when and who invented this brilliant idea?

Where Did It All Begin?

Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch that might include some light alcoholic drinks. It is typically served from around 11 a.m. and up to 4 o’clock in the afternoon. 

Bryan Curtis interviewed a bunch of restaurant owners in New York for Slate’s The Birth of Brunch. They all insisted that brunch originated in the city.

“Dozens of Manhattan restaurants can lay claim to inventing some part of brunch,” Curtis says. “You can trace the mythic origins of eggs Benedict, for example, to Delmonico’s, a downtown steakhouse, and the Waldorf, in Midtown. But Sunday brunch’s formative cauldron may be this otherwise unremarkable six-block stretch of Amsterdam on the Upper West Side. It is here that Sunday brunch acquired its defining characteristics, its casual manners.”

One possibility is that brunch was a Jewish alternative to church. Jewish families didn’t have much to do on Sunday mornings, so instead they enjoyed long meals with traditional foods like NY bagels, lox or crepes. 

Some people say that Sunday brunch comes from the practice of Catholics fasting before mass and then sitting down for a large meal. Why not? It seems logical.

There’s also a third opinion, which claims that roots of this tradition grow from England’s hunt breakfasts. There were multi-course meals that presented delicacies like chicken livers, eggs, meats, fresh fruit and deserts.

No matter how it all started, it has become one of the America’s favorite social events. 

Now that we’re getting vaccinated, we can once again gather for brunch. And these days, the best brunch spot might just be your house! But, there’s no pressure. Here at Broadway Gourmet Caterers, we have a delicious take on Brunch and we can deliver it to you. Just relax and enjoy your beautiful Sunday – or Saturday, or Wednesday. Our Sunday Brunch menu is available any day. Call us at 516-797-4840 if you have any questions about New York and Long Island catering.