He Continental breakfast Is defined as the first meal of the day, whose consumption occurs in the morning hours and can be found mainly in hotels. It is generally served on continental Europe, North America and other parts of the world as an alternative to English breakfast and as a healthier alternative to American breakfast (Goldfarb, 2017).
It is characterized by its simplicity; You can include slices of bread with butter, ham, honey, cheese, different types of breads and rolls, fruits and different kinds of hot drinks and juices. It is a convenient breakfast for travelers who do not want to waste time with an elaborate and expensive meal.
The hotels prefer the continental breakfast for its low cost and efficiency in the service. It is usually served in a buffet from which food can be taken without the need for a waiter and the amount of food is limited.
The term"continental breakfast"was awarded by the English to refer to a small meal consumed by the inhabitants of continental Europe. In this way, the term continental breakfast is associated with breakfast served outside the British Isles, from which comes the English breakfast.
English and continental breakfast are considered opposites in abundance and content. The continental breakfast is lighter than English and usually consists of cold foods such as fruits, cheeses, meats and breads. Meanwhile, English breakfast consists of lighter foods such as beans, eggs and vegetables and is often eaten hot (Glendinning, 1999).
History
The term"continental breakfast"was first used in the late nineteenth century when some hotels in North America implemented this type of breakfast in their restaurants to attract more American tourists from emerging middle class and European tourists.
United States in the 19th century
Thanks to the rapid growth of the western United States in the early nineteenth century and its accelerated urbanization, those of the American middle class were less and less interested in working as peasants and day laborers in the agricultural sector and increasingly in office jobs in the city.
The traditional American breakfast - consisting of eggs, meat, fish, breads, cereals, fruit, honeys, jellies, butter and condiments - was no longer necessary for the new middle class, who no longer needed large amounts of energy to work in the field And gave way to a lighter alternative from Europe.
Origin of continental breakfast
During the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, many cities in the western United States became highly urbanized. Between 1870 and 1920 the population of the United States went from 10 million to 54 million inhabitants. Many of these inhabitants conformed the emerging middle class and came from European countries (Oliver, 2015).
The new American middle class was conformed by dentists, lawyers and businessmen, among others. These new professionals began to earn salaries and fees that were enriching them, and as a result, they became more affluent travelers in search of cheap rates for their trips.
As the American middle class emerged and demanded a lighter breakfast, more European tourists came to North America, bringing with them information about the typical foods of their breakfasts (breads, fruit, coffee, or tea). The hotels quickly learned how to adapt their breakfasts to the demands of new cultures and this way the continental breakfast was born.
Before the nineteenth century those guests who hired a room in a hotel assumed that they would receive the three meals of the day. However, the new emerging US class was expected to receive better rates on their travels, which is why hotels decided to charge the restaurant service independently of the room.
This trend eventually led to the modern model offering a room with continental breakfast included and charging the restaurant service in another account (STAFF, 2015).
Types of food
The offer of food included in the continental breakfast varies depending on the hotel or accommodation, this means that they may or may not include all the typical foods of this type of breakfast.
Baked goods
The continental breakfast is made up of different breads and baked goods. Among the most common foods you can find toasts, donuts, cinnamon rolls, croissants, buns and pastry pastry. Greasy, fried foods and meat products are generally not included in the continental breakfast.
Bread is the most popular food in the continental breakfast. It is served in slices or buns, it can be integral, white or prepared with cereals. Bread is usually served with butter, jam or jelly.
Drinks
Most popular beverages at the continental breakfast include hot coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. In some buffets you can find fresh or canned fruit juices and milk. Coffee is the most common drink for a continental breakfast. There are several coffee alternatives available, such as espresso, latte, capucciono, mocha or americano.
Most hotels offer in their bar the alternative of adding artificial sweeteners, sugar and creams to customize the drinks to taste. Sometimes there are only two different types of drinks to consume with breakfast.
Cereals
There are usually different types of cereal on the continental breakfast bar. These cereals can come in a box containing a serving of cereal or in dispensers for each customer to serve their cereal.
The most common cereals include granolas and corn flakes with and without added sugar. They are usually consumed cold and mixed with milk or yogurt.
Fruits
The continental breakfast offers seasonal fruit sliced or sliced in its bar. This fruit can be served with or without yogurt. Sometimes the cheese tray is accompanied with cheese.
The fruits most commonly served at the continental breakfast are bananas, apple, orange, red fruits or grapefruit. These fruits are sometimes served in the form of a cocktail.
Protein
Proteins rarely appear on the continental breakfast. However, the most common proteins include yogurt and boiled egg. Some hotels serve hams, salami and fried eggs with the continental breakfast without these foods being typical of the same.
Others
There are some foods that can be included in a continental breakfast, even if they are not typical of it. These can be cheeses, nuts or hot cereals.
Differences between continental breakfast and English breakfast
At present there are basically two types of breakfasts served in hotels and restaurants in Europe: continental and English.
Continental breakfast is the name given to the group of foods consumed during the first meal of the day in continental Europe. On the other hand, English breakfast is defined as the first meal of the day consumed in the British Isles. There are wide and marked differences between continental and English breakfasts.
Foods
A full English breakfast is served hot and cooked and usually contains some kind of frying. This fry may include mushrooms, beans, sausages, hams, eggs, bread or potatoes. Apart from the fried foods, the English breakfast contains toast bread, bacon, cooked tomatoes, orange jam, orange juice and tea.
A continental breakfast, on the other hand, is served cold and contains foods such as cereals, breads, fruits, and tea or coffee. Occasionally the continental breakfast can include a boiled egg and in no time includes fried foods in its bar.
Time of consumption
The continental breakfast is consumed mainly in Europe and considered a light dish. The main course in most European countries is consumed at noon. On the other hand, in the British Isles, breakfast is the most abundant meal of the day and can be served in six or seven courses.
Presentation
The continental breakfast originated as an economical alternative for middle class travelers coming mainly from Europe. It is, in general, an alternative of economic feeding that works mainly under the modality of bufet. Most hotels will include you within the price of the room.
A traditional English breakfast includes sausages, bacon, eggs, fried bread, tomatoes and beans. English breakfast foods are served on six or seven courses and may include pudding, kidneys, mushrooms, and chips (Andrews, 1980).
Table Tag
The label rules indicate that the continental breakfast should be served with a bread dish, a butter knife and a butter plate. Also included is a tea / coffee pot, saucer, teaspoon, sugar container, sugar tongs, bread basket, napkins, honey and jam.
The rules established for English breakfast indicate that the table should have a bread dish, a butter knife, a butter plate and a set of vinagreras. It includes a sugar container, sugar tongs, tea pot, saucer, spoon, fish cutlery, cutlery for food, ham, jam and honey.
Implications for health
A continental breakfast can be healthy if you choose your ingredients carefully. The European continental breakfast is not considered healthy since it is rich in carbohydrates a poor in protein and dairy.
Some hotels offer the carbohydrate-rich continental breakfast alternative, while other hotels have chosen to offer fatty meats as an alternative to cereals. Similarly, there are hotels that offer products low in calories, fats and sugars. However, it is recommended to consume more granola and fresh fruit in more quantity than the other products offered in the breakfast bar.
The continental breakfast generally looks healthier than it is. Some breads can contain up to 400 calories. This amount of calories should be consumed between all breakfast foods and not in just one of them. On the other hand, the high carbohydrate intake contained in the continental breakfast encourages the production of insulin in the body and the feeling of fatigue.
The consumption of small portions of food can avoid the appearance of risks associated with the intake of products that usually make up a continental breakfast. Some hotels offer unsweetened juices or vegetable juices to minimize the consumption of sugars during breakfast (Michael P. Zimring, 2005).
Continental breakfast in Europe
The most consumed food in hotels in Europe is breakfast as travelers usually consume breakfast in their hotels. The continental breakfast is offered in a plan that includes the room and the breakfast and its consumption is limited in the majority of accomodations of Europe.
In Europe the basic continental breakfast offers the alternative of drinking coffee or hot chocolate and a bread and cheese. In countries like Holland and Norway the continental breakfast can include a cold meat or fish. Breakfast in Europe is coming into disuse while in North America it is becoming more popular.
Most hotel suites in Europe have started campaigns to become more popular by offering free breakfasts as part of their marketing campaigns.
In this way, it seeks to revive the perception of the continental breakfast in a format foreign to the hotel restaurant. Some hotels have included baristas to prepare breakfast coffee in the lobby and trays with small rolls in the kitchens of the suites for the consumption of their guests.
Despite the decline in morning food consumption in Europe, the continental breakfast is still in force and can be found both in continental plans as well as in bed and breakfast plans in smaller accommodations.
Do not confuse the mid-morning snack that is accompanied with coffee with the continental breakfast. Most hotels in Europe make this distinction taking into account the form of payment (Vallen & Vallen, 2013).
References
- Andrews, S. (1980). Lesso 12 Breakfast. In S. Andrews, Food and Beverage Service Training Manual (Pp. 37-38). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
- Glendinning, S. (1999). Introduction: What is Continental Philosophy. In S. Glendinning, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy (Page 6). Edinburgh: General Editing Simon Glendinning.
- Goldfarb, A. (13 of 1 of 2017). Kitchn . Retrieved from"What Is a Continental Breakfast, and What Makes It Continental?: thekitchn.com.
- Michael P. Zimring, L. I. (2005). Breakfast Does a Good Body. In L. I. Michael P. Zimring, Healthy Travel: Do not Travel Without It (Page 96). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications Inc.
- Oliver, L. (18 of 3 of 2015). Food Timeline . Retrieved from Breakfast: foodtimeline.org.
- STAFF, H. (15 of 9 of 2015). Hipmunk . Retrieved from"What Does"Continental Breakfast"Actually Mean?: hipmunk.com.
- Vallen, G.K., & Vallen, J.J. (2013). Chapter 1 The Traditional Hotel Industry. In G. K. Vallen, & J. J. Vallen, Check-in Check-out: (Page 23). Pearson.