Rich flavorful Hollaindaise sauce, salty and savory ham, perfectly poached eggs, and the fluffy yet crunchy texture of English Muffins. Eggs Benedict Day is the perfect excuse to cook up a plate of this delicious breakfast meal, and serve it with a side of fried potatoes on the side. While the origin of the name is sometime associated with Benedict Arnold, it’s no betrayal of good taste to start your day with the Eggs that bear his name. In fact, it may just be the redemption of a reference that is often reviled alongside that of Brutus.
History of Eggs Benedict Day
As we mentioned coming in, the actual origin of Eggs Benedict is one shrouded in myth and mystery. There are those that profess that it was the favorite breakfast of the notorious betrayer Benedict Arnold, and became a favorite of the British after his defection from the American Revolutionary forces.
Others say that its origins are far more recent, being the result of a hangover remedy ordered by one Lemuel Bendict, a Stock Broker who celebrated a bit too hard the night before. While the original order in this case is rumored to be “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of Hollandaise”, and the maître d’hotel was so impressed with it that he made a couple modifications and added it to the menu.
Another, purportedly older origin story speaks of Pope Benedict XIII and a bit of an obsession with a particular egg dish. Every day he would order this specific meal when the opportunity presented itself, and so it was that it became deeply associated with him. It also was rumored that there was something going on with his health that made eggs be something of a craving as it helped to assuage the effects.
Celebrating Eggs Benedict Day
You start your day off with a big old heaping serving of Eggs Benedict, for starters! While Eggs Benedict is a fairly simple dish to build, the Hollandaise sauce can be quite tricky to get right. If you really want to go all out, you can even have a breakfast gather where you try all sorts of different varieties. There’s Eggs Florentine, which replaces the ham with spinach (or adds it underneath!). You can also have Eggs Hemingway, which swaps out smoked salmon for the ham (A popular variety in Canada, the UK, and Australia!). Our personal favorite is the Eggs Blackstone, which replaces the Ham with the original bacon, and slips in a tomato slice for the sweet zing it brings. Whatever you choose in the end, Eggs Benedict Day brings a delicious breakfast back to our plates!
