October is National Applejack Month, but we can’t remember the last decade in which we had some. We’ll remedy that today with an applejack cocktail, the Jack Rose (photo #1), recipe below. You can find more applejack recipes online.

Applejack is a type of brandy produced from apples.

The U.S. government standards accord that applejack and apple brandy are the same thing.

But applejack is different from the most famous apple brandy, Calvados from the Normandy region of France, to which it is often compared.

The difference: Calvados is made from cider apples, whereas applejack is made from eating apples. Distillers can use:

 
Here’s more about the apple varieties used to make applejack.

Applejack has been associated with four presidents of the United States:

 
Applejack is having a renaissance, with craft distillers making their marks. You can see some of them in photos #6, #7, #8, and #9.

But the first brand sold in America was Laird’s. The history follows.

Craft applejack isn’t cheap—typically $40 or more per bottle—but it’s worth it. Do avoid the cheaper varieties made with bright-red artificial color and laden with artificial ingredients. Good grenadine—not the cheaper stuff—is essential to making good applejack.
 
 
> What is hard cider?

> Apple cider history.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF APPLEJACK, AMERICA’S FIRST SPIRIT

Most people might thank that Bourbon was America’s first spirit, but applejack came first. Bourbon (1789), corn whiskey (moonshine) sometime in the mid-1700s*, and Tennessee whiskey (1825) came after.

Popular in colonial times, applejack was often made at home until it began to be sold commercially.

Applejack was once the nation’s most popular drink. America’s earliest cocktail may well have been the apple toddy (photo #10), which is applejack blended with boiling water and demerara sugar syrup [source]. Here’s a recipe, that also includes some sherry.

It slipped from favor in the 19th and 20th centuries as other spirits grew in popularity—Bourbon and rum in the 19th century and gin, tequila, vodka and whiskey in the 20th.

But at the beginning, in 1698, Alexander Laird, a County Fife Scotsman, emigrated from Scotland to America with his sons Thomas and William. William settled in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

William probably was making scotch back in the old country, but here he turned his skills to using the abundant apples of the New World [source].

Apple brandy was first produced in colonial New Jersey in 1698 by William Laird, a Scots American who may have been a distiller in his Scottish homeland. Now run by the eighth generation of Lairds, until the 2000s it was the country’s only remaining producer of applejack, and continues to dominate applejack production.

At the time the Laird family began to produce applejack, it was commonly produced at home from cider made after the apple harvest. It was consumed at home and shared with neighbors.

Back then, Applejack was also imbibed in an unaged form dubbed Jersey Lightning [source].
 
 
The First Licensed Applejack Distillery

The first commercial sales of Laird applejack was recorded in the family ledger in 1780.

That year, after the war, Robert Laird incorporated Laird’s Distillery as the new nation’s first licensed commercial distillery [source].

However, perhaps because applejack is much less popular than other spirits, it is left off the list of the oldest licensed distilleries in America, much less the first!
 
In 1920, with the beginning of the Prohibition era, Laird’s was forced to ended the production of liquor and pivoted to produce apple juice.

But in 1931, John Evans Laird received permission to produce apple brandy for “medicinal purposes” and stockpiled bottles applejack until the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Then, the company was able to hit the deck running.

Before 1968, applejack was synonymous with apple brandy. It was only when consumer preferences started moving towards lighter products like vodka and gin that applejack’s distinct identity took shape.

The Lairds worked with the government to establish a new federal standard for blended apple brandy, and as a result, applejack is now defined as a blend of at least 20% apple distillate with neutral grain spirit that must be aged at least two years in oak [source].

In 1972 the Laird family launched the Blended Applejack spirit category, to meet meet consumer demand for lighter, lower proof spirits. Laird’s Applejack is now made from a blend of apple brandy (35%) and neutral grain spirits (65%).

Modern applejack has a mellower flavor than original applejack. Laird’s is still the go-to brand, but today there are several craft distilleries making applejack.

In the 2010s, a number of smaller craft distilleries began to produce applejack in colder climes: in Michigan (Coppercraft—photo #6), New Hampshire (Old Hampshire—photo #9), New York’s Hudson Valley (Cornelius——photo #7), and Pennsylvania (Eight Oaks—photo #8), among others.

The name applejack derives from the traditional method of producing the drink, called jacking. It’s the process of freezing fermented cider and then removing the ice, increasing the alcohol content. See the next section to see how it was made.
 
 
JACKING: HOW APPLEJACK WAS MADE

Applejack was traditionally produced from the hard cider that was the everyday drink for most Americans in the 18th century. Naturally fermented and low in alcohol, hard cider was safer than well water, cheaper than beer, and easy to make at home.

Jacking was a low-tech method where spirits were distilled not by the usual method of heating, but by freezing.

Any household with a supply of hard cider and cold weather could make applejack via freeze distillation.

Cider produced from the fall harvest was left outside during the winter. Periodically the frozen chunks of ice which had formed were removed, thus concentrating the unfrozen alcohol in the remaining liquid.

An alternative method involved placing a cask of hard cider in the snow, allowing ice to form on the inside of the cask as the contents began to freeze. Then, the cask was tapped to pour off the still-liquid portion of the contents.

With each freeze, the water in the cider crystallized into slushy ice. Each time the ice was skimmed off, and the concentration of alcohol grew, until what is left in the barrel reached about 40 proof: the clear spirit that is applejack [source].

The alcoholic content rose from the fermented cider, at less than 10%, to 25% to 40% in the concentrated alcohol of applejack.

Because freeze distillation was a low-cost method of production compared to evaporative distillation (which required a still and the burning of firewood to create heat for evaporation), hard cider and applejack were historically easier to produce—although more expensive than grain alcohol [source].

Modern commercially produced applejack is not produced by jacking but rather by blending two distilled spirits: apple brandy and neutral grain spirit.
 
 
RECIPE #1: JACK ROSE COCKTAIL

Perhaps the most famous applejack cocktail is the Jack Rose cocktail. It was created around the turn of the 20th century, and named for its rosy color (from the grenadine).

Its origin is uncertain, but researchers peg it to either New York or New Jersey, likely made with Laird’s Applejack, made in New Jersey at the oldest licensed distillery in the U.S., established in 1698.

The cocktail quickly found fans who enjoyed it until the advent of Prohibition.

It was a favorite cocktail of John Steinbeck and was mentioned by Ernest Hemingway in “The Sun Also Rises.” (1926).

It remained popular beyond 1948, when it was featured as one of six basic drinks to know in David Embury’s 1948 book “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks” [source].
 
Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the applejack, lemon juice and grenadine in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until well chilled, 15 to 20 seconds.

2. STRAIN into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
 
 
RECIPE #2: THE WIDOW’S KISS

If you happen to have yellow Chartreuse and Benedictine, you can try this cocktail.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
 
 
RECIPE #3: RECIPE #3: JUMPING JACK

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

[1] The Jack Rose cocktail gets its pink color from grenadine. The recipe is below (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[2] For the Jack Rose cocktail, grenadine. Here’s an easy recipe to make your own (photo © Sonoma Syrup Co.).

[3] For the Jack Rose cocktail, fresh lemon juice—and a lemon twist as garnish (photo © Deva Williamson | Unsplash).

[4] The original applejack brand: Laird’s (photo © Laird And Company).

[5] Pink Lady, one of the newer apple varieties used to make applejack (photo © Good Eggs).

[6] Coppercraft Applejack is made in Michigan (photo © Coppercraft Distillery).

[7] Cornelius applejack is made in the Hudson Valley of New York State by Harvest Spirits. They also make Distiller’s Reserve Applejack, distilled twice aged for 11 years (photo © Copake Wine Works).

[8] Eight Oaks is a newer brand of craft applejack (photo © Jessica Glebe Designs | Eight Oaks Distillery).

[9] Old Hampshire Applejack is distilled in New Hampshire (photo © Tamworth Distilling).

[10] An apple hot toddy, perhaps the first American cocktail. Here’s the recipe (photo © US Apple).

*Corn whiskey was first made sometime in the mid-1700s, by Scottish and Irish immigrants who were familiar with the whiskey-making techniques of their homelands. It was a rustic spirit that was not aged and mostly intended for immediate consumption [source]. The term “moonshine” comes from the fact that illegal spirits were made under the light of the moon, to avoid detection from authorities. They avoided paying the government tax on alcohol, which began shortly after the American Revolution [source].

[1] These twice-baked popovers are savory, with bacon and cheese (photos #1, #2, #3, and #8 © King Arthur Baking).

[2] A popover pan enables the top to be puffy.

[3] Popover mix speeds the process.

[4] With a popover pan, air circulates around each well (photo © Fox Run | Amazon).

[5] You can see the difference between Yorkshire puddings and the popovers in the previous photo. Here’s Gordon Ramsay’s recipe (photo © House and Garden).

[6] Compare this flat Yorkshire pudding pan to the popover pan in photo #4 (photo © Masterclass | Amazon)

[7] The classic pairing of Yorkshire pudding and roast beef.

[8] Popovers made in a muffin tin don’t puff up, but they’re still delicious.

Today’s recipe is for breakfast popovers, baked, halved, and stuffed with bacon, eggs, and cheese.

They’re a special treat for breakfast or brunch, and even for lunch with a green salad and/or tomato soup.

Popovers are unique, light and airy rolls—puffs, if you will, made from an egg batter in a special pan so that they puff up.

They get their name because their tops pop over their baking pan.

The exterior is golden brown and crisp, the interior soft and eggy with a large pocket of air.

Popovers are an Americanization of Yorkshire Pudding, a classic British Sunday lunch, served with roast beef and gravy. They use the same batter.

The difference:

 
> The history of popovers.

> The history of Yorkshire Pudding.

> The different types of bread: a glossary.

> See how to use leftover popovers, below.
 
 
RECIPE: TWICE-BAKED BREAKFAST POPOVERS WITH BACON, EGGS & CHEDDAR

With this recipe from King Arthur Baking, you can make standard-sized popovers for a more substantial meal, make mini popovers as finger food to serve as a side with other breakfast foods, or serve the minis as hors d’oeuvre for later in the day.

However you serve them, you’ll get accolades for this savory, airy treat.

Yield: 10 to 12 standard, 20 to 24 muffin-sized, or 28 to 36 mini popover halves.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F with a rack positioned in the lower part of the oven.

2. PREPARE the batter for the popover mix according to package instructions, allowing it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

3. POUR the batter into a heavily-greased 6-cup standard popover pan, a 12-cup standard muffin pan, or a 12 cup mini popover pan, filling the cups 2/3 to 3/4 full. Note: if you use the mini popover pan, you’ll have to bake a second, partial batch to use up all the batter.

4. PLACE the pan in the oven, and bake the popovers for 34 to 38 minutes (30 to 34 minutes for mini popovers), until they’re a deep golden brown. While the popovers are baking…

5. PREPARE the bacon, egg, and cheese mixture. Cook the bacon crisp by whatever method you prefer (e.g., baking instead of frying), then chop it into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces. Set aside.

6. BEAT the eggs with the milk or cream, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

7. SET a large pan over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the light green and white scallions and cook until softened. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the eggs have just barely set and are still slightly wet (they’ll cook further when baked in the popovers).

8. TRANSFER the egg and scallion mixture to a mixing bowl, allow to cool slightly, then stir in the cooked, chopped bacon and the cheese. Set aside.

9. REMOVE the popovers from the oven, wait 5 minutes, and turn them out onto a rack. Do not turn off the oven.

10. ASSEMBLE. Once the popovers are cool enough to handle, cut each one in half lengthwise (a sharp, serrated knife is very helpful here). Spoon the egg mixture into the hollow portion of each popover half (you’ll need about 1/4 cup for the large popovers, 3 tablespoons for the popovers made in the muffin cups, and 2 tablespoons for the mini popovers).

11. PLACE the popover halves on a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with extra cheese if desired, and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges have turned golden.

12. REMOVE the popovers from the oven, garnish with the dark green scallions, and serve hot or warm.
 
 
MORE POPOVER RECIPES

 
Can you make popovers in a muffin tin?

Yes. They’ll taste the same but without the same airiness, and they won’t have puffy tops. See photo #8.
 
 
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER POPOVERS

“Popovers are a fleeting pleasure, says P.J. Hamel of King Arthur Baking. “As soon as they emerge from the oven they start to settle a bit, and as they cool the steam migrating through their softening crust can make them a bit tough and leathery.”

However, that doesn’t mean that you need to gobble them as soon as they emerge from the oven.

While that’s the optimal way to enjoy them, popovers served within 4 to 5 hours of baking will still be quite tasty.

Although the crisp crust will have gone away, they’ll still be soft and airy inside.

More options:

 
 
BUY POPOVER MIX

Buy King Arthur Baking Popover Mix for yourself, and extra boxes as gifts for friends.

These days, like Christmas decorations, pumpkin spice latte sales seem to begin in August. Even if that’s an exaggeration, it’s only by one month. So we normally wait until after fall begins to promote the PSL.

Since September 29th is National Coffee Day and October 1st is National Pumpkin Spice Day, get ready to celebrate the season with a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte.

We highly recommend the Pumpkin Pie Latte syrup from Sonoma Syrup Co.

There are other PSL syrups out there, but none of them matches the quality of Sonoma Syrup.

Their line of infused simple syrups are infused with botanicals and/or juice.

Infusion transfers the flavor of the botanicals—fresh mint leaves, lavender buds, lime juice, ginger, Meyer lemon peel, etc.—into pure cane sugar simple syrup, giving each variety the most natural, authentic flavor.

The Pumpkin Pie Latte syrup captures the warmth and spices of the season. It’s made with the rich flavors of natural pumpkin purée; premium cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and allspice; and vanilla bean extract blend.

Use it as a substitute for sugar to sweeten and flavor flavor:

 
The recipe follows, but first:

> The history of pumpkin spice latte.

> The history of pumpkin spice.

> What the first bakers of pumpkin pie used.
 
 
RECIPE #1: PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

Prep time is 1 minute.
 
Ingredients Per Serving

 
Preparation

1. FILL a mug with the steamed milk, espresso, and simple syrup.

2. TOP with foamed milk or vanilla bean whipped cream.

3. SPRINKLE with cinnamon sugar.
 
 
RECIPE #2: SPICED PUMPKIN OLD FASHIONED

Prep time is 3 minutes.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Plus:

 
Preparation

1. ADD all ingredients to a shaker filled with fresh ice.

2. SHAKE, strain and pour into a rocks glass filled with new ice.

3. GARNISH and serve.
 
 
MORE PUMPKIN SPICE RECIPES

These recipes don’t require pumpkin spice syrup. You can make them with the ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

[1] Pumpkin Spice Latte, the trend that became a fixture (photos #1, #3, and #4 © Sonoma Syrup Co.).

[2] Two shots of espresso for the PSL (photo © Nathan Dumlao | Unsplash).

[3] The Pumpkin Old Fashioned is made with regular coffee instead of espresso.

[4] Plus, whiskey for Old Fashioned whiskey, here, rye (photo © Old Forester).

[5] Don’t forget the pumpkin spice syrup!

[1] Potato-and-chickpea salad for breakfast (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Cube and boil russet potatoes (photos #2 abd #5 © Good Eggs).

[3] Add a can of protein-packed chickpeas (photo © DeLallo).

[4] Egg whites are also a great source of protein (photo © C.A. Creative | Unsplash).

[5] Red bell peppers add color and fiber.

[6] Parley adds green to the salad (photo © Cava).

Potato salad to start your day off? Yes, and this is a healthy potato salad breakfast recipe.

September is National Better Breakfast Month, and here’s something a bit different: a breakfast potato salad.

There’s no mayo—it’s a heart-healthy olive oil vinaigrette. And it’s packed with protein from chickpeas and egg whites.

Get a real energy boost with this delicious, heart healthy and fortifying breakfast option.

> Check out these breakfast salad recipes.

> There are more interesting breakfast recipes below.

> The different types of potatoes.

> The history of potatoes.

> The history of potato salad.

> The history of chickpeas.
 
 
RECIPE: IDAHO POTATO BREAKFAST SALAD

 
Ingredients For The Salad

 
For The Dressing

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the potato cubes in a large saucepan; add water to cover and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes, or until tender (easily pierced with a knife). Drain and place in a serving bowl.

2. LIGHTLY SPRAY a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook the egg whites over medium heat, without stirring, until cooked through but not overcooked.

3. FLIP the skillet over onto a clean cutting board, releasing the egg whites. Chop the egg whites and add them to the serving bowl.

4. ADD the red pepper and chickpeas to the bowl, stirring all ingredients to combine; set aside.

5. PREPARE the dressing: Purée all ingredients in a blender. Pour over the salad and toss gently to combine.
 
 
40 MORE BREAKFAST RECIPES

These are not your everyday bacon and eggs, oatmeal, and pancakes!

 
For Holidays:

 
Plus:

Enjoy it with ketchup, maple syrup, or other condiment of choice.

This sweet, salty, and totally satisfying egg sandwich may become your new favorite.

The sweet component is cinnamon-sugar blend with maple syrup, which get whisked into the eggs.

You can buy French Toast popcorn seasoning (photo #5), but it’s super-easy to make the blend.

If you have maple sugar, you can substitute it for the maple syrup and then have a dry spice that can be used subsequently on popcorn, yogurt, or cottage cheese—or on French Toast!

> The history of pancakes.

> The different types of pancakes.

> More savory pancake recipes.

> The history of sandwiches.

> The history of the breakfast sandwich is below.

*National Pancake Day is celebrated on multiple dates. The same holiday can be declared by different governments (federal, state, city) or by other authorities, e.g. a trade association or a marketing group. You can currently find citations for the second Tuesday in February. February 21st, February 28th, and September 26th. The original date seems to have been Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day in the U.K. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, observed in many Christian countries. Tradition indicates that celebrants eat pancakes and sweets before the beginning of Lent.

RECIPE: PANCAKE BREAKFAST SANDWICH

Save time with frozen pancakes. Precooked bacon is also a time saver.

Ingredients Per Serving

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon French Toast popcorn seasoning
• 1 slice precooked applewood bacon
• 2 frozen pancakes
• 1 slice cheddar cheese

Substitute For The French Toast Popcorn Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. WHISK the eggs with the French Toast popcorn seasoning.

2. PREPARE the pancakes according to package directions. While the pancakes are cooking…

3. SCRAMBLE the eggs in your pan of choice. As the eggs set, use a ring mold to create a round shapes, or push into a roundish shape with a spatula.

Alternatively, make poached eggs in an egg poacher.

When the eggs are almost finished…

4. ADD the cheese to the top of the eggs to melt in the pan. If you’ve made poached eggs, you can microwave them with the cheese for 30 seconds.

5. ASSEMBLE: Top one pancake with the eggs and cheese, then add the bacon and the top pancake.

THE HISTORY OF THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH

Bread-baking began about 10,000 years ago, and man no doubt woke up to leftover bread millennia before the concept of breakfast even existed.

Back in those prehistoric times, there was just hunger to be satiated. Perhaps yesterday’s leftover bread, along with whatever else could be had, was one of the foods that could begin the day. But it wasn’t in any shape or form a “breakfast sandwich.”

Fast-forward some 9,500 years: Although the ingredients for the breakfast sandwich have been common elements of breakfast meals in the western world for centuries, it was not until the 19th century that people began regularly eating eggs, cheese, and meat in a sandwich.

The sandwich itself didn’t even exist until 1762 (the history of the sandwich).

The concept of the breakfast sandwich is believed to have begun in Great Britain in the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution created factories.

En route to work, factory workers could pick up coffee and a fried egg on a roll from a street vendor. Sometimes there was a choice of bacon, sausage, or cheese as well.

[4] Our favorite brand of cheddar slices (photo © Tillamook County Creamery Association).

[5] French Toast Popcorn Seasoning from The Cook’s Nook.

The first known published recipe for a “breakfast sandwich” was in an 1897 American cookbook called “Breakfast, Dinner and Supper” [source].

In Breakfast: A History, Heather Arndt Anderson writes that the first recipe for “a true breakfast sandwich” appears in that cookbook with these instructions:

“Use stale bread. Spread each slice with chopped meat; cover with another slice and press together” [source].

Fortunately, the breakfast sandwich evolved.

Different types of breakfast sandwiches came to reflect regional tastes, mostly variations of a bacon sandwich, an egg sandwich, a sausage sandwich, and various combinations thereof, some with cheese. For example:

• The Denver Sandwich, also known as a Western sandwich, places a Denver/Western omelet—ham, onion, green bell pepper, and scrambled eggs—between two pieces of toasted bread.
• The Jersey Breakfast Sandwich features sliced pork roll (processed meat), egg and cheese.
• Biscuits are the bread of choice for Southern breakfast sandwiches, although the fillings can be the same as elsewhere: bacon, egg, cheese, and perhaps a local favorite, country ham.

Bagel Sandwiches

Bagels, the base of one of today’s most popular breakfast sandwiches, were brought to New York City by Polish immigrants in the late 1800s. Originally buttered, they eventually teamed up with cream cheese (invented in New York State in 1872) and smoked salmon.

While the smoking of food likely dates back to the paleolithic era, the first salmon salmon was hot-smoked salmon, which did preserved the fish and did not require refrigeration.

The boom of European immigration around the beginning of the 20th century brought people from Poland, Russian, and Scandinavia, countries with long traditions of fish-smoking.

This talent pool helped to develop and perfect cold smoking. Cold smoking cures raw fish, which is then smoked for flavor. The finished product is still raw—but with a soft, silky texture—and requires refrigeration.

New York City, especially in Brooklyn, emerged as the fish-smoking capital of America [source]. Cold-smoked salmon turned out to be the perfect fish to grace a bagel.

Fast Food Breakfast Sandwiches

The breakfast sandwich exploded in the 1950s and 1960s, when Americans moved from cooking everything from scratch, to augmenting their fare with convenience foods.

The fast food industry was pivotal to the growth of the breakfast sandwich.

Jack in the Box offered a breakfast sandwich of egg, meat, and cheese on an English muffin as early as 1969. But it was at McDonald’s, with coast-to-coast locations, where the breakfast sandwich really caught on.

In 1971, food scientist and advertising executive Herb Peterson invented the Egg McMuffin. He was trying to create a version of Eggs Benedict.

A favorite food of his, he needed a version that didn’t require hollandaise sauce and therefore could be sold at his six McDonald’s franchises in and around Santa Barbara, California.

His Egg McMuffin, an egg sandwich on a toasted English muffin, consisted of an egg fried in a Teflon ring with the yolks broken, topped with Canadian bacon and a slice of cheese.

He introduced the Egg McMuffin at his McDonald’s in Goleta, California in 1972, and rolled it out to all of his restaurants before introducing it to McDonald’s chairman Ray Kroc.

Needless to say, it was a hit and was rolled out to all locations in 1976.

In a time when breakfast was a sit-down meal, Egg McMuffin could be eaten on the go.

How popular is the Egg McMuffin? Customers demanded that it be served throughout the day, with the result that McDonald’s buys 5% of all eggs sold in the U.S. [source]

The Breakfast Burrito

Following on the heels of the Egg McMuffin was the next breakfast sandwich innovation, the breakfast burrito.

Although a rolled tortilla containing some combination of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and cheese had long existed in New Mexican cuisine, Tia Sophia’s, a diner in Santa Fe, claims the first use of the term “breakfast burrito” on a menu, in 1975.

When people in other areas of the country heard of it, it became a staple, and McDonald’s introduced its version in the late 1980s.

By the 1990s, more fast food restaurants launched breakfast burritos, including Carl’s Jr, Hardee’s, and Sonic Drive-In. But it took until 2014 for Taco Bell to offer breakfast burritos [source].

There are now breakfast tacos, as well.

And More

Burger King used a croissant to make a breakfast sandwich called the Croissan’wich, or croissant sandwich, launching in 1983. It contains an egg, sausage patty, and American cheese.

Dunkin’ Donuts followed suit, with a fried egg, sausage patty, and American cheese on a croissant (but only BK can use the trademarked term, Croissan’wich).

In 1983, McDonald’s introduced the McGriddles breakfast sandwich, but without bread. It consists of bacon, a scrambled egg, and American cheese between two maple-flavored griddle pancakes (embossed with the McDonald’s logo, no less).

Today, breakfast sandwiches on bagels, biscuits, and other breads and wrappers abound, not to mention more sandwiches with pancakes and waffles replacing the bread. What’s next?

As soon as America moves beyond avocado toast, we’ll report it here.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.