CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST: WHAT IS IT AND WHAT FOODS DOES IT INCLUDE? - NUTRITION - 2025

The continental breakfast is defined as the first meal of the day, whose consumption occurs in the morning and can be found mainly in hotels. It is generally served in the European continent, North America, and other parts of the world as an opposite alternative to English breakfast and as a healthier alternative to American breakfast (Goldfarb, 2017).

It is characterized by its simplicity; It 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.

Hotels prefer continental breakfast because of its low cost and efficient service. It is usually served in a buffet from which the food can be taken without the need for a waiter and the quantity of food is limited.

The term "continental breakfast" was assigned 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 English breakfast comes.

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, the English breakfast consists of less light foods such as beans, eggs and vegetables and is usually eaten hot (Glendinning, 1999).

History

The term "continental breakfast" was first used in the late 19th century when some hotels in North America implemented this type of breakfast in their restaurants to attract more emerging middle class American tourists 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 rapid urbanization, those belonging to the American middle class were less and less interested in working as farm workers and laborers in the agricultural sector and increasingly in office jobs in the city.

The traditional American breakfast - made up 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 fields and gave way to a lighter alternative from Europe.

Origin of continental breakfast

During the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, many cities in the western United States became highly urbanized. Between 1870 and 1920 the population of the United States grew from 10 million to 54 million. Many of these inhabitants made up the emerging middle class and came from European countries (Oliver, 2015).

The new American middle class consisted of 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 wealthier travelers in search of cheap rates for their trips.

At the same time that the American middle class emerged and demanded a lighter breakfast, more European tourists came to North America, and with them they brought information about the typical foods of their breakfasts (breads, fruit, coffee or tea). Hotels quickly learned how to adapt their breakfasts to the demands of new cultures and thus the continental breakfast was born.

Before the 19th century, guests who booked a room in a hotel assumed that they would receive all three meals a day. However, the new emerging American class was bound to receive better rates on their travels, which is why hotels decided to charge restaurant service independently from room service.

This trend over time led to the modern model of offering a room with continental breakfast included and charging the restaurant service to another account (STAFF, 2015).

Types of foods in the continental breakfast

The offer of foods 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 foods

The continental breakfast consists of different breads and baked goods. Common foods include toast, donuts, cinnamon rolls, croissants, buns, and puff pastry. Fatty, fried foods and meat products are generally not included in the continental breakfast.

Bread is the most popular food for continental breakfast. It is served in slices or buns, it can be whole grain, white or prepared with cereals. Bread is usually served with butter, jam, or jelly.

Drinks

The most popular drinks in the continental breakfast include hot coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Fresh or canned fruit juices and milk can be found in some buffets.

Coffee is the most common drink for a continental breakfast. There are several coffee alternatives available, such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, mocha, or American.

Most hotels offer in their bar the alternative of adding artificial sweeteners, sugar and creams to personalize the drinks to taste. Sometimes there are only two different types of drinks to consume with breakfast.

Cereals

Different types of cereal are usually offered at 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 granola and corn flakes with and without added sugar. They are usually eaten cold and mixed with milk or yogurt.

Fruits

The continental breakfast offers in its bar the seasonal fruit cut into slices or pieces. This fruit can be served with or without yogurt. Sometimes the fruit tray is accompanied by cheeses.

The most commonly served fruits in the continental breakfast are bananas, apple, orange, red berries or grapefruit. These fruits are sometimes served as a cocktail.

Protein

Proteins rarely appear in 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 it.

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

Currently there are basically two types of breakfasts served in hotels and restaurants in Europe: continental and English.

The group of foods consumed during the first meal of the day in continental Europe is called continental breakfast. On the other hand, it is defined as English breakfast as the first meal of the day that is 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 type of frying. This frying can include mushrooms, beans, sausages, hams, eggs, bread, or potatoes. In addition to frying, the English breakfast contains toast bread, bacon, cooked tomatoes, orange marmalade, 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 may include a boiled egg and at no time does it include fried foods on its bar.

Consumption time

Continental breakfast is mainly consumed in Europe and is 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 filling meal of the day and can be served in six or seven courses.

Presentation

The continental breakfast originated as an inexpensive alternative for middle-class travelers mainly from Europe. It is, in general, an inexpensive food alternative that works mainly in the form of a buffet. Most hotels include you in the price of the room.

A traditional English breakfast features sausage, bacon, eggs, fried bread, tomatoes, and beans. English breakfast foods are served in six or seven courses and may include pudding, kidneys, mushrooms, and French fries (Andrews, 1980).

Table etiquette

The rules of etiquette indicate that the continental breakfast should be served with a bread plate, a butter knife and a butter plate. Similarly, it includes a cup for tea or coffee, a saucer, a teaspoon, a container for sugar, tongs for sugar, a bread basket, napkins, honey and jam.

The rules established for the English breakfast indicate that at the table there should be a bread plate, a butter knife, a butter plate and a set of cruets.

It includes a sugar container, sugar tongs, a tea pot, a saucer, a teaspoon, fish cutlery, food cutlery, ham, jam and honey.

Health implications

A continental breakfast can be healthy if its ingredients are carefully chosen. The European continental breakfast is not considered healthy since it is rich in carbohydrates, 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, fat and sugar. However, it is recommended to consume more granola and fresh fruits in greater quantity than the other products offered in the breakfast bar.

Continental breakfast generally looks healthier than it is. Some breads can contain up to 400 calories. This amount of calories should be consumed among all breakfast foods and not in just one of them.

On the other hand, the high intake of carbohydrates 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 the products that usually make up a continental breakfast. Some hotels offer unsweetened juices or vegetable juices that allow you 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. Continental breakfast is offered on a room and breakfast plan, and consumption is limited in most accommodations in Europe.

In Europe the basic continental breakfast offers the alternative of drinking coffee or hot chocolate and a bread with cheese. In countries like Holland and Norway the continental breakfast can include cold meat or fish. Breakfast in Europe is falling into disuse while in North America it is becoming more and 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, the aim is to revive the perception of the continental breakfast in a format other than the hotel restaurant. Some hotels have included baristas to prepare breakfast coffee in the lobby and trays of small sweet rolls in the suite kitchens for their guests to consume.

Despite the decline in morning meal consumption in Europe, continental breakfast is still in force and can be found in both continental plans and bed and breakfast plans in smaller accommodations.

The mid-morning snack that is accompanied with coffee should not be confused with the continental breakfast. Most hotels in Europe make this distinction taking into account the payment method (Vallen & Vallen, 2013).

References

1. 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.
2. Glendinning, S. (1999). Introduction: What is Continental Philosophy. In S. Glendinning, The Edinburgh Encyclopedia of Continental Philosophy (p. 6). Edinburgh: General Editing Simon Glendinning.
3. Goldfarb, A. (13 of 1 of 2017). Kitchn. Retrieved from What Is a Continental Breakfast, and What Makes It Continental ?: thekitchn.com.
4. Michael P. Zimring, LI (2005). Breakfast Does a Body Good. In LI Michael P. Zimring, Healthy Travel: Don't Travel Without It (p. 96). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications Inc.
5. Oliver, L. (18 of 3 of 2015). Food Timeline. Retrieved from Breakfast: foodtimeline.org.
6. STAFF, H. (15 of 9 of 2015). Hipmunk. Retrieved from What Does “Continental Breakfast” Actually Mean ?: hipmunk.com.
7. Vallen, GK, & Vallen, JJ (2013). Chapter 1 The Traditional Hotel Industry. In GK Vallen, & JJ Vallen, Check-in Check-Out: Managing Hotel Operations (page 23). Pearson.