Sunday, June 15, is Father's Day in both the US and Ireland - time to treat dad to a tasty Irish breakfast for the big day!
The traditional Irish breakfast evokes memories of meals in kitchens that smell of freshly cooked meats, fried vegetables, and baked bread.
Treat yourself and the family and whip up this delicious traditional treat.
Here are the top ten essentials for a full Irish breakfast:
Irish sausage
Irish sausage – an amalgamation of freshly ground beef or pork, seasoned with spices and layered with rusk – has been cooked in the frying pans of households for centuries. Butchers fill collagen casings or pig intestines with seasoned meat, whose mild and zesty flavor caters to palettes that routinely disfavor piquant foods.
How to cook: Pop the link in a pan or the oven until golden brown or slightly burnt.
Rashers
Irish bacon, or rashers, typically refers to a cut of cured pork loin. Butcher shops inject it with a salt-based rind and allow the loin to soak in a barrel for two to three days. An alternative – streaky bacon – uses a cut along the pig’s belly or slab.
How to cook: Pop the rasher in pan or oven, cook until golden brown.
Full Irish breakfast.
Pudding
Black pudding, or blood pudding, is a unique blend of blood, pork, rusk, and seasonings; white pudding replaces blood with liver, though it remains similar in almost every other way. Puddings are blanched previously.
How to cook: Slice, then cook in a pan or the oven until crispy.
Fried egg
A fried egg also proves to be an essential for a traditional Irish breakfast.
How to cook: Toss the egg white and yolk into a pan until fried or scrambled.
Vegetable roll
Certain parts of Northern Ireland eat vegetable roll – a blend of seasoned beef, carrots, leeks, and onions – as a part of the Ulster Fry.
How to cook: Slice it up and cook in a pan until crispy.
Baked beans
Baked beans – a collection of navy beans stewed in a tomato sauce – can be purchased at local grocery stores from companies such as Batchelors or Heinz.
How to cook: Out of the can, heat the beans in a pot or microwave.
Potato farls
Potato farls, soda farls, and boxty are three griddle breads that often complement a traditional Irish breakfast. The square-shaped potato farls use cooked potatoes, flour and salt. Boxty resembles a pancake and uses raw potatoes.
How to cook: Slice them and throw them in a pan until golden brown.
Mushrooms and tomatoes
Fried mushrooms and tomatoes, salted for flavor, provide an interesting balance to the generous meat portions.
How to cook: Slice them up and cook in a pan until brown.
Brown bread
Brown bread, a frequent staple of Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S., tastes great with butter, jam or marmalade.
How to prepare: Slice and place on plate, top with your choice of butter, jam, or marmalade (or all three!)
Tea
A cup of hot, freshly brewed tea washes down the considerable breakfast and delivers a dose of caffeine to start one’s day.
How to prepare: Fire up the kettle and pour boiling water over a teabag in a mug. Finish with milk and sugar to your liking.
*Originally published in January 2022. Updated in June 2025.
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