Great Traditional Brunch Foods

There are many delightful meals waiting to be enjoyed on any particular day. For starters, there's breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, supper and don't forget all the prime opportunities for snacking in between. But one of the most magical of meals has to be brunch. Firmly slotted, both etymologically and chronologically, between breakfast and lunch, brunch brings the best of both worlds to the table.

But depending on where you are geographically, the food you can expect to find as you serving-spoon your way through the traditional brunch buffet can vary a bit. Of course, many basic items are considered staples in the world of killer brunch cuisine -- eggs, for example, are rarely neglected at a top-notch meal. What can vary, however, is the preferred method of egg preparation. Perhaps you're rolling with an eggs Benedict kind of crowd, or maybe omelets are the local obsession. Whatever the case, there's a good chance something that popped out of a chicken will be landing squarely in the middle of your plate at any brunch.

So the question is this: How can you know what to expect when breakfast is a fast-fading memory and brunch is looming heavily on the horizon? Well, be still your quivering tummy, because you're about to find out. But before we dive in and eat, let's take a moment to enjoy the roots of the word "brunch." According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, we have the hipster Brits of the 1890s to thank for popularizing the tradition of verbally slamming breakfast straight into lunch.

So what's the first rule of brunch club? Don't keep it a secret! Just be plenty proficient at balancing a loaded plate as you maneuver toward your seat. On the next page, we'll discuss some of the gastronomical goodies that you could be cramming onto your particular platter depending on where you happen to be positioned in the world.