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What is a Fry up?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

A fry up is an informal British term that refers to a dish made up of different fried foods, usually based on eggs or meats. It's also known as an English breakfast, although fry ups may be eaten at any time of day. Geographical variations include the Irish, Scottish and Welsh breakfasts. The ingredients can vary, depending on what the cook has available, but mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, bacon, sausage and black pudding are common and classic additions. Other foods, such as baked beans, may be added as well.

Black pudding is a sausage made from pig's blood, bread, fat, and seasonings. Other types of sausage are also commonly eaten in fry ups. Organ meats, such as lamb's liver and beef kidneys, may be added. The idea is to fry meat pieces for flavor and to use them while they're still fresh. Bacon is a staple ingredient.

A typical fry up, also known as an English Breakfast.
A typical fry up, also known as an English Breakfast.

Bacon in the United Kingdom differs greatly from its American counterpart. While bacon processed in the US comes from the belly of a pig and is very fatty, bacon in the UK is prepared from the back or loin and is much leaner and meatier. American bacon is known as streaky bacon in the UK and wide slices of British bacon are sold as rashers. Irish bacon is thinly cut with a rind of fat. Many people consider UK bacon superior in taste, yet American bacon more appealing in aroma during cooking.

Bacon is a common ingredient in a fry up.
Bacon is a common ingredient in a fry up.

Traditional Irish fry ups feature Irish bacon as well as soda or potato farls, which are thin, triangular flat bread. A Scottish fry up may include UK bacon while also featuring square Lorne sausage. This pork and/or beef sausage is square-shaped and served in slices. Lorne sausage is also commonly eaten in bread rolls as sandwiches.

A Welsh breakfast is likely to contain seafood or seaweed, and a traditional full breakfast includes fried seaweed and oatmeal patties called laverbread. Laver is rock-clinging seaweed found in some coastal areas in the UK and is especially associated with the Pembrokeshire Coast in South West Wales.

Blood sausage, which is sometimes included in a fry up.
Blood sausage, which is sometimes included in a fry up.

Eggs used for a fry up should usually be cooked sunny side up, or with the egg yolks heated yet still yellow and liquid. Mushrooms and tomatoes are the standard vegetables added to the meat. Toasted bread spread with marmalade, a citrus fruit preserve, is a favorite accompaniment. Hot tea is served with morning fry ups, while stout, or dark beer, may accompany one eaten as an evening meal. Tomato ketchup or Houses of Parliament (HP) sauce, a brown, fruity, spicy malt-vinegar based condiment, often tops the dish.

Discussion Comments

Perdido

My friend used a fry up recipe to make me breakfast last weekend, and I have to say that it was definitely different than what I'm used to eating. This recipe included both bacon and sausage for this one meal, and I normally only eat one or the other.

Both are so filling that it's hard to eat a lot of either one, much less the two together. Having tomatoes and mushrooms for breakfast was a bit different, too, but not in a bad way. It all actually went really well together.

orangey03

I'm sorry, but a full English breakfast sounds disgusting to me! I can't believe people actually consume pig's blood, especially when it's mixed with fat!

I'm sure that if I had been raised in the UK on this type of food, I would think nothing of it. However, I'm an American, and I actually got a little sick at my stomach reading about a fry up!

ValleyFiah

@comparables- I was in the UK to visit my uncle last year and he took me to a pub for a real British fry up. The pub served something very similar to what you describe. They were called Worcester eggs. The main difference was that they were made with eggs pickled in Worcestershire sauce, and they were coated in white pudding and sausage mix.

White pudding is basically salt pork, suet, and oatmeal. The eggs were still fried, but they were not breaded. The white pudding added enough starch to make them perfect. Oh...the eggs were also served on a stick. They were tasty, but the ones you describe sound as if they would be better.

Comparables

My old friend/roommate is Scottish and he used to make great breakfast. His favorite dish to make was scotch eggs. They probably did not make for the healthiest breakfast, but they were delicious.

Scotch eggs were simply boiled eggs, peeled, and covered in bulk sausage, breaded and fried. What made his eggs so special was that he knew exactly how long to boil them so that the whites were completely cooked, but the yolks were still soft. I make scotch eggs all the time, but I have not been able to match his expertise.

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    • A typical fry up, also known as an English Breakfast.
      By: vichie81
      A typical fry up, also known as an English Breakfast.
    • Bacon is a common ingredient in a fry up.
      By: Kelpfish
      Bacon is a common ingredient in a fry up.
    • Blood sausage, which is sometimes included in a fry up.
      Blood sausage, which is sometimes included in a fry up.
    • A fry up typically includes some form of eggs.
      By: Elenathewise
      A fry up typically includes some form of eggs.
    • Mushrooms are often included as part of a fry up.
      By: mbongo
      Mushrooms are often included as part of a fry up.
    • Stout is commonly served with an evening fry up.
      By: zaphod2008
      Stout is commonly served with an evening fry up.