BRUNCH

'Brunch', or bruncheon, is a late morning or early afternoon meal, typically between 11am and 3pm, that combines foods usually eaten for breakfast and lunch.^[1] The term is a portmanteau of 'br'eakfast and l'unch'. Brunch is often served after a morning event or prior to an afternoon one, such as a wedding or sporting event. While common in the United States, according to ''Punch'' magazine the term was introduced in Britain around 1896 by ''Hunter's Weekly'', then becoming student slang ^[2].
Some restaurants and hotels serve brunch, especially on Sundays and holidays. Such brunches are often serve-yourself buffets, but menu-ordered meals may be available instead of, or with, the buffet. The meal usually involves standard breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, fruits, pastries, and the like. However, it can include almost any other type of food served throughout the day. Buffets may have quiche, large roasts of meat or poultry, cold seafood like shrimp and smoked fish, salads, soups, vegetable dishes, many types of breadstuffs, and desserts of all sorts. Pancakes are not to be classified as brunch food, and are offered as an option to children who may be present at brunch.
The dim sum brunch is a popular meal in Chinese restaurants world-wide^[3]. It consists of a wide variety of stuffed bao (buns), dumplings, and other savory or sweet food items which have been steamed, deep-fried, or baked. Customers select small portions from passing carts, as the kitchen continuously produces and sends out more freshly prepared dishes.

Contents

Special occasions

French language

German Language

Regional Variations

New York City

Culture

References

Special occasions

Brunch meals are prepared for special occasions such as weddings, Valentine's or Mother’s Day, with recipes available ^[4] or meals offered by restaurants and hotels.

French language

The Académie française prefers that French speakers not incorporate English words like ''brunch'' into their language, and suggests using the phrase ''le grand petit déjeuner'',^[5] literally "big breakfast," and more literally, word-for-word this means "big little lunch." Despite the wishes of the Académie, the typical French person readily says "brunch." In fact, most French-French dictionaries have an entry for "brunch" but not "grand petit déjeuner," defining brunch as a "late meal taken in the morning, in place of both breakfast and lunch".^[6].

German Language

German speaking countries readily adopt Anglicisms, and "brunch" is no exception, defining it as "a combination of breakfast and lunch"^[7]. However, the German language has its own word for "brunch" : ''Gabelfrühstück'' (lit. "fork breakfast", fig. "late great breakfast with warm dishes"). ^{[8] [9]}

Regional Variations

New York City

Despite the name, which suggests a meal half-way between breakfast and lunch, brunch in New York City typically consists of breakfast food eaten ''later'' than a regular lunch, in the afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays. Eggs, French toast, pancakes, hash browns and other standard breakfast foods are usually accompanied by coffee, and often by a Mimosa, champagne, Bellini (cocktail), Bloody Mary. New York brunch is rarely a buffet, except in large hotels.
The grease-heavy meal is eaten later in New York than in other places because it is often used as a hangover remedy for those who stay out late drinking on Friday or Saturday nights. The alcohol-fueled New York nightlife can often push brunch well into the afternoon, after party-goers have slept off the previous night's excesses.
A variation of the New York brunch, originating with New York Jews, consists of bagels and their traditional accompaniments, including: "shmears" (cream cheeses of various flavors), tomatoes, red onions, capers, and lox. This is often called a "bagel brunch," and has spread throughout the nation.
A newer tradition made popular in trendy areas such as Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Greenwich Village are more upscale brunch options (though still intended for a crowd of recovering party goers). Foods served in this variation often have a some a regional cuisine influence such as Italian cuisine or Southern cuisine. The menus also typically have both breakfast and lunch related options (such as sandwiches and salads) as well as items that work to fuse both meals including classics such as a Monte Cristo sandwich and newer ideas such as "breakfast pizzas" (basically a baked omlette with tomatoes, cheese and pizza meats cooked on top of a pizza crust). These meals are usually ordered menu style (though some places have a buffet of salad and/or breakfast pasteries), and pricing is often Prix Fixe (usually costing between $10 and $20).

Culture

★ "Brunch" was the name of a 1997 British television series directed by Sue Judd and Simon Pearce.^[10]

★ In an episode of ''The Simpsons'' ("Life on the Fast Lane", first aired March 18, 1990) the handsome French bowling instructor Jacques gives his (French) impression of American brunch to Marge: "It's not quite breakfast, it's not quite lunch, but it comes with a slice of cantaloupe at the end. You don't get completely what you get at breakfast, but you get a good meal."

References

1. http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,667,00.html foodnetwork
2. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=brunch
3. http://chinesefood.about.com/od/diningout/p/dim_sum.htm
4. http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/valentines/brunch.htm
5. Anglicismes et les mots préférés
6. Dictionaire Général pour la maîtrise de la langue française la culrute classique et contemporaine, p. 219, Larousse (1993)
7. [1] Deutsch Wiki entry on "brunch"
8. [2] Deutsch Wiki entry and s, ''Zwischenmahlzeit'', ''Frühmi'' (a portmanteau of Frühstück and Mittagessen, breakfast and lunch) and ''Gabelfrühstück''
9. Cassell's German-English English-German Dictionary, MacMillan Publishing Company
10. "Brunch" (Brit. TV series) at IMDB