View source for Brunch

{{short description|Meal that combines breakfast and lunch}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Meals}}

'''Brunch''' ({{IPAc-en||"|b|r|ʌ|n|tʃ}}) is a meal<ref>{{cite book|last=Palmatier|first=Robert Alan|title=Food: A Dictionary of Literal and Nonliteral Terms|year=2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0313314360|page=[https://archive.org/details/fooddictionaryof00palm/page/40 40] |url=https://archive.org/details/fooddictionaryof00palm |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=The Birth of Brunch: Where Did This Meal Come from Anyway? | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-birth-of-brunch-where-did-this-meal-come-from-anyway-164187758/ }}</ref> taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – some sources mention 11am–2pm, though modern brunch often extends as late as 3pm.<!-- PLEASE ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION AT TALK PAGE BEFORE ADDING A SPECIFIC TIME --><ref name="Ternikar 2014 p. ">{{cite book | last=Ternikar | first=F. | title=Brunch: A History | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers | series=The Meals Series | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4422-2943-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BukLBAAAQBAJ | language=en | access-date=2023-04-11 | page=}}</ref> The word ''brunch'' is a [[portmanteau]] of ''breakfast'' and ''lunch''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,667,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030805153243/http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,667,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 August 2003 |title=foodnetwork |publisher=Web.foodnetwork.com |access-date=24 August 2013 }}</ref>

The term "brunch" was first used by British writer Guy Beringer in his 1895 essay "Brunch: A Plea," published in ''Hunter's Weekly'', where he proposed it as a leisurely and more sociable alternative to traditional Sunday meals. Brunch was popularized in the early 20th century in the United States, where it first appeared in [[New Orleans]] in the late 1890s, and became a staple of upper-class dining culture in [[New York City]] in the early 1920s.<ref name="ternikar2014">{{cite book |last1=Ternikar |first1=Farha Bano |title=Brunch: A History |date=2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=9781442229426}}</ref> While the term is Anglo-American, similar traditions exist around the world, such as Cantonese [[dim sum]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=Alan |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press, Incorporated |location=Oxford |isbn=9780199677337 |edition=3rd |chapter=Dim sum}}</ref>

Brunch menus vary by location and culture. In the United States, brunch is seen as an especially indulgent meal; rich dishes such as [[eggs benedict]] and [[chicken and waffles]] are common, as well as juice-based cocktails, like the [[Bloody Mary (cocktail)|Bloody Mary]] and [[mimosa (cocktail)|mimosa]].<ref name="ternikar2014" />

==History==
The 1896 supplement to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' cites ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' magazine, which wrote that the term was coined in Britain in 1895 to describe a Sunday meal for "Saturday-night carousers" in the writer Guy Beringer's article "Brunch: A Plea"<ref>{{cite book|last=Gold|first=David L.|title=Studies in etymology and etiology|year=2009|publisher=Universidad de Alicante|isbn=978-84-7908-517-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l015C5vm1XkC&q=brunch+%22Guy+beringer%22&pg=PA99|page=99}}</ref> in ''Hunter's Weekly''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Merriam-Webster's, Inc.|title=Merriam-Webster's dictionary of English usage|year=1994|publisher=Merrriam Webster|isbn=978-0-87779-132-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2yJusP0vrdgC&q=brunch+%22Guy+beringer%22&pg=PA203|page=203}}</ref><ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Brunch: a plea |last=Beringer |first=Guy |year=1895}}</ref>

{{quotation|Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a postchurch ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, the author wrote, why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare{{pb}}By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well.{{pb}}"Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting", Beringer wrote. "It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week."|
William Grimes, "At Brunch, the More Bizarre the Better" ''New York Times'', 1998<ref>{{cite news |author=Grimes, William |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/08/dining/at-brunch-the-more-bizarre-the-better.html?sec=travel&pagewanted=1 |title=At Brunch, The More Bizarre The Better |work=The New York Times |date=8 July 1998 |access-date=24 August 2013}}</ref>}}

Brunch developed into a luxurious restaurant meal in the American South, first appearing in New Orleans in the late 1890s. Madame Elizabeth Begué, a German immigrant to New Orleans, is credited with being the first to offer "second breakfast" at her restaurant, Begué's. Meals at Begué's would consist of a six to seven course feast spanning several hours, served with champagne and [[chicory coffee]]. The 1884 World's Fair would attract tourists to the city, bringing Begué's into national prominence.<ref name="greenwood2008">{{cite book |title=Entertaining from Ancient Rome to the Super Bowl: an encyclopedia |date=2008 |publisher=Greenwood |location=Westport |isbn=9780313086892}}</ref> Brunch restaurants flourished in New Orleans; notable spots include Brennan's, Antoine's, and Cafe du Monde.<ref name="ternikar2014" />

Brunch became popular among the upper class in New York City between 1920 and 1950.  In 1939, the New York Times devoted a Sunday feature to the meal, though it notes that the term 'brunch' was chiefly used within the home; Manhattan restaurants offering the same meal advertised it under terms like 'bracer breakfast' and 'hunt breakfast.' Some leaned heavily into theming and entertainment. For their 'hunt lunch', the Hotel Lombardy's waiters wore [[wikt:hunting pink|hunting pink]] jackets, while at the Madison, Sunday brunches were accompanied by live music and dance. Menus typically featured substantial savory dishes{{em-dash}}hunter-style veal and kidney sauté at the Lombardy, lamb kidneys and sausages turbigo at the Madison, fried seafood, chicken and corned-beef hashes, Boston baked beans{{em-dash}}along with breads, pastries, eggs, juices, and coffee. Cocktails accompanied the meal where the law allowed. New York City's liquor regulations prohibited alcohol service in restaurants until 1:00 PM, so many brunches began around that time.<ref>{{cite news |title=For Gourmets and Others: Sunday Morning 'Brunch'; The Word May Not Be Elegant, but It Can Mean Good Food, at Home or in the Restaurants That Specialize in Breakfast-Luncheon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/02/12/archives/for-gourmets-and-others-sunday-morning-brunch-the-word-may-not-be.html |work=The New York Times |date=12 February 1939}}</ref><ref name="smith2016">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Andrew F. |title=Savoring Gotham: a food lover’s companion to New York City |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780199397020 |chapter=Brunch}}</ref>

==Around the world==
Brunch in its modern form originated as an elite urban meal in the late nineteenth-century Anglo-American world, but has since spread internationally, adapting to local customs and cuisines. Several pre-existing traditions also exist, including Cantonese [[yum cha]], and are often discussed alongside it.<ref name="ternikar2014" />

===East Asia===
[[Yum cha]], a Cantonese [[dim sum]] brunch,<ref name="yumcha">{{Cite web|title=Yum Cha – Cantonese Tea Brunch Tradition|url=https://www.travelchinaguide.com/chinese-yum-cha.htm|access-date=2025-07-20|website=www.travelchinaguide.com}}</ref> is popular in Chinese restaurants worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chinesefood.about.com/od/diningout/p/dim_sum.htm |title=Dim Sum – History, Pictures, Recipes of Chinese Dim Sum |work=Chinesefood.about.com |date=13 July 2013 |access-date=24 August 2013 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718153424/http://chinesefood.about.com/od/diningout/p/dim_sum.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>  It consists of a variety of stuffed [[bun]]s, [[dumpling]]s, and other savory or sweet foods that have been steamed, deep-fried, or baked. Customers select small portions from passing carts,<ref name="yumcha" /> as the kitchen continuously produces and sends out freshly prepared dishes. Dim sum is usually eaten at a mid-morning, midday, or mid-afternoon [[teatime]].

The Chinese word "早午饭" ({{lang-zh|link=no|p=zǎo wǔfàn}}) is defined as brunch, with "早饭" ({{lang-zh|p=zǎofàn|labels=no}}; 早: morning, 饭: meal) meaning breakfast; and "午饭" ({{lang-zh|p=wǔfàn|labels=no}}; 午: noon, 饭: meal) meaning lunch. The combination of "早饭" and "午饭" is thus "早午饭", brunch.

===French===
The [[Office québécois de la langue française]] accepts 'brunch' as a valid word but also provides a synonym ''déjeuner-buffet''. Note that, however, in [[Quebec]], ''déjeuner'' alone (even without the qualifying adjective ''petit'') means 'breakfast'.<ref>Office de la langue française, 1999, [http://www.granddictionnaire.com/BTML/FRA/r_Motclef/index800_1.asp ''Le Grand Dictionnaire''] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20030402061812/http://www.granddictionnaire.com/btml/fra/R_MotClef/index800_1.asp |date=2 April 2003 }}, entry "Brunch": "Repas combinant le petit déjeuner et le repas du midi, et habituellement constitué d'un buffet". (A meal that combines the breakfast and lunch and usually consists of a buffet.)</ref> In Quebec, the word—when [[Francization|francized]]—is pronounced {{IPA|fr|bʁɔ̃ʃ|}}.<ref>''La Petite Larousse'' (2009), p. 140</ref> The common pronunciation in France is {{IPA|fr|bʁœnʃ|}}.

===Italian===
In Italian, the English loanword 'brunch' is generally used, though the neologism/calque {{wikt-lang|it|colanzo}} is increasingly popular, being derived from {{wikt-lang|it|colazione}} (breakfast) and {{wikt-lang|it|pranzo}} (lunch).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-20|title=brunch|url=https://aaa.italofonia.info/brunch/|access-date=2021-04-25|website=Dizionario delle alternative agli anglicismi in italiano|language=it-IT}}</ref> Even less common but occasionally used are {{lang|it|colapranzo}} and {{lang|it|pranzolazione}}, both derived from the same sources.<ref>{{Cite web|title=brunch – Wiktionary – Translations|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/brunch#Translations|access-date=2021-04-25|website=en.wiktionary.org|language=en}}</ref>

The usage of these terms varies in Italy, as different regions have different cultural definitions of mealtimes and their names. Traditional usage, particularly in northern Italy, included calling the first meal of the day {{lang|it|prima colazione}} (first {{lang|it|colazione}}), and the second meal either {{lang|it|colazione}} or {{lang|it|seconda colazione}} (second {{lang|it|colazione}}), as distinguished from {{lang|it|pranzo}}, the evening meal (now generally used as the term for the midday meal).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italian Word of the Day: Colazione (breakfast) – Daily Italian Words|date=2 July 2020|url=https://dailyitalianwords.com/italian-word-for-breakfast-colazione/|access-date=2021-04-25|language=en-US}}</ref> In this scheme, a separate term for 'brunch' would not be necessary, as {{lang|it|colazione}} could be used as a general term for any meal taken in the morning or early afternoon. Although Italian meal terminologies have generally shifted since widespread use of this naming scheme, the concept of a distinct mid-morning meal combining features of breakfast and lunch is largely one imported from the UK and North America in the last century, so the Anglicism 'brunch' is predominant.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tibaldi|first=Andrea|title=Brunch|lang=it|url=https://www.cibo360.it/cucina/mondo/brunch.htm|access-date=2021-04-25|website=Cibo360.it}}</ref>

=== Canada ===
The [[Ontario]] area now known as [[Leslieville]] neighbourhood is sometimes called the brunch capital of [[Toronto]], as many renowned establishments serve brunch there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mydestination.com/toronto/restaurants/125502/bonjour-brioche |title=Bonjour Brioche in Leslieville |work=Mydestination.com |access-date=24 August 2013}}</ref> Brunch buffets also exist in other parts of Southern Ontario, including Kitchener-Waterloo.

In Canada, brunch is served in private homes and in restaurants. In both cases, brunch typically consists of the same dishes as would be standard in an American brunch, namely, coffee, tea, [[fruit juice]]s, breakfast foods, including [[pancake]]s, [[waffles]], and [[french toast]]; meats such as ham, bacon, and sausages; egg dishes such as scrambled eggs, [[omelette]]s, and [[eggs Benedict]]; bread products, such as toast, [[bagel]]s or [[croissant]]s; pastries or cakes, such as [[cinnamon roll]]s and [[Coffee cake (American)|coffee cake]]; and fresh cut fruit or [[fruit salad]].<ref name="huffingtonpost.ca">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/21/best-toronto-brunch-2013_n_3467985.html|title=Best Toronto Brunch 2013: 20 Top Brunch Picks From HuffPost Foodies|date=21 June 2013|website=HuffPost Canada|access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/03/21/easter-brunch-recipes_n_9516488.html|title=Easter Brunch: 25 Recipes For The Ultimate Brunch|date=21 March 2016|website=HuffPost Canada|access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://itstodiefor.ca/best-food-in-vancouver/best-brunch-in-vancouver/|title=Best Brunch in Vancouver – To Die For|website=itstodiefor.ca|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-date=18 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218065607/http://itstodiefor.ca/best-food-in-vancouver/best-brunch-in-vancouver/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="canadianliving.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.canadianliving.com/recipe-directory/course_meal_type/brunch.php|title=Brunch recipes|website=Canadianliving.com|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-date=8 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608151937/http://www.canadianliving.com/recipe-directory/course_meal_type/brunch.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/09/edible-canada-brunch-vancouver/|title=The Ultimate Vancouver Brunch Guide: Edible Canada|date=18 September 2015|website=Vancitybuzz.com|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901033839/http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/09/edible-canada-brunch-vancouver/|archive-date=1 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Brunches may also include foods not typically associated with breakfast, such as [[Roasting|roasted]] meats, [[quiche]], soup, [[smoked salmon]], sandwiches, and salads, such as [[Cobb salad]].<ref name="huffingtonpost.ca"/><ref name="canadianliving.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadianliving.com/food/menus_and_collections/101_soup_recipes.php|title=101 soup recipes|website=Canadianliving.com|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601220726/http://www.canadianliving.com/food/menus_and_collections/101_soup_recipes.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

When served at home or in a restaurant, a brunch may be offered [[buffet]] style, in which trays of foods and beverages are available and guests may serve themselves and select the items they want, often in an "all-you-can-eat" fashion. Restaurant brunches may also be served from a menu, in which case guests select specific items that are served by waitstaff. Restaurant brunch meals range from relatively inexpensive brunches available at [[diner]]s and [[family restaurant]]s to expensive brunches served at high-end restaurants and bistros.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

===Philippines===

Brunch in the Philippines is served between 9:00&nbsp;am and noon.{{cn|date=November 2025}} Contrary to what is observed in other countries, brunch in the afternoon, between 3:00 and 4:00&nbsp;pm, is called [[merienda]], a traditional snack carried over from Spanish colonialism.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="" widths="220px" heights="150px">
File:Brunch-Fahrten MS MARS.jpg|A brunch on a ship, [[Lake Constance]], Germany
File:Brunch orange juice toasts with eggs.jpg|A homemade brunch consisting of cooked eggs on toast and salad, accompanied by orange juice
File:Fruits and Tarts -- Formal Brunch Aboard the Celebrity Equinox, 12-09-2011 (6857451879).jpg|A formal brunch buffet aboard the ''[[Celebrity Equinox]]''
File:Gourmet cheeseburgers for brunch.jpg|Cheeseburger as brunch
File:Snack Counter at The Farm House.jpg| Coldcuts and cheeses with bread in a brunch buffet
File:Monki's Huevos Rancheros with spiced rice, ground beef, spinach, mushrooms & tomatoes.jpg|''[[Huevos rancheros]]'' as brunch
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[Drag brunch]]
* [[Elevenses]]
* [[Israeli breakfast]]
* [[List of breakfast topics]]
* [[List of brunch foods]]
* [[Second breakfast]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|Brunch: a plea}}
{{Commons category|Brunch}}
{{Wiktionary|brunch}}
*[http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2011/05/the-birth-of-brunch-where-did-this-meal-come-from-anyway/ "The Birth of Brunch: Where Did This Meal Come From Anyway?" Smithsonian.com]
*[http://wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook Wikibooks Cookbook]

{{Breakfast topics}}
{{Meals_navbox}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Brunch| ]]
[[Category:Breakfast]]
[[Category:Meals]]
[[Category:1890s neologisms]]