18 Classic Breakfast Dishes We No Longer Eat

There has been food on the table every morning for almost all of modern history, but it hasn’t always looked the same. A plate of sausage and eggs turned into a powdered instant shake and then into toast with avocado slices. Some breakfast foods, like eggs and bacon, have been around for a long time. These dinners from the past were part of The Breakfast Club and were popular for a while over the years, but they are now mostly gone. Enjoy these old breakfast meals that probably fed you as a child but haven’t been served in a long time. Maybe in 50 years, shakes and chicken and waffles will be on this list: who knows?

1. Spam and Eggs

Spam became well-known during World War II because it was designed to simulate meat, which was rationed throughout the war. It was labeled as “pork, with ham meat added” and contained salt, water, modified potato starch, and a preservative. Spam was utilized in a variety of cuisines, not just breakfast, despite being a breakfast staple. Today, canned cooked meat gets a poor name in many parts of the country, but not in Hawaii, where spam and eggs are still served for breakfast, usually with rice.

2. Milk Toast

A morning favorite in the past, this comfort dish was created with toasted bread, warm milk, butter, and sugar. The bread was toasted, the milk was warmed in a saucepan (occasionally with raisins and spices), and the milk was then poured over the toast, making it a simple morning delight. There were numerous variants, such as adding salt and pepper or cinnamon to the milk. Additionally, it was believed to help with digestion, which is intriguing because most individuals have problems breaking down dairy.

3. Johnnycakes

This fried cornmeal flatbread dish has its roots in Native American culture. The recipe from the 1909 New England Cook Book was pretty straightforward: it called for cornmeal, boiled water, and salt, and the final product looked a lot like pancakes. You’ll still find Johnnycakes popping up on menus in the Midwest and some Southern spots, and they’re definitely enjoyed in Rhode Island and a few Caribbean countries as well. Hey, who’s Johnny? It’s hard to say for certain, but it seems like there probably wasn’t a Johnny after all. There’s a claim from the 1956 The New England Cook Book that says travelers needed food to break their fast, and these ‘journey cakes’ helped keep them nourished. However, it’s more likely that the name actually comes from the word ‘janiken’, which means corn cake.

4. Cinnamon Toast

This morning dish was all about toast, butter, and cinnamon sugar, and it was a kid favorite. Sometimes the toast was cut into fun forms, and other times the crusts were cut off. But what really made people happy was the warm, buttery, cinnamon-sugar topping. Without a doubt, this is comfort food for the soul.

5. Hoecakes

You might have heard of “hoecakes,” right? They have a recipe that’s pretty similar to Johnnycakes. But the key difference is in how it was originally prepared: So, hoecakes were probably cooked on a big iron hoe over a fire. Pretty interesting, right?

Read More: 7 Of The Best Fast-Food Breakfast Sandwiches, Ranked

6. Dippy Eggs

If you’re in Great Britain, you might still see this dish around quite a bit. In the US, in places like Maryland, Pennsylvania, or Pittsburgh, where you might remember having this whimsically-named dish a while back. The eggs were cooked sunny side up, which made them just right for dipping toast into that delicious runny yolk. Sometimes, people refer to toast as “soldier toast,” you know.

7. Popovers

According to Eat This Not That popover is similar to a “Yorkshire pudding”. Particularly well-liked in New England, it shares characteristics with custard: being airy, hollow and eggy. It is thought that the popover, which is often served warm with jam and butter, first appeared in 1850s cookbooks and kitchens. A variant known as Portland popover pudding was well-liked in the Oregon city of Portland. A classic popover recipe can be found in the New England Cookbook.

8. Wheatena

It is said that this hot toasted wheat cereal originated in a neighborhood bakery on Mulberry Street in New York City around 1879. Yes, it is still made in Pennsylvania today, and it has had a successful run throughout the years. However, its popularity has significantly declined since its heyday.

9. Maypo

This maple-flavored instant oatmeal became a hit right away when it made its debut on the breakfast scene in the early 1950s. It was something special, and even if you didn’t get to taste it, boomers likely recall the fun marketing jingle, “I want my Maypo.” Maypo is back with a fresh recipe that features quinoa and is now available in grocery stores again! However, the nostalgic Maypo from many childhoods is no longer around.

10. Popcorn Cereal

A delightful and well-loved breakfast in the 1800s, this dish was made with popcorn (you read that right), milk, and a touch of sweetness, like a sprinkle of sugar. Ella Ervilla Eaton Kellogg, the wife of cornflake inventor John Harvey Kellogg, whose brother W.K. Kellogg founded the Kellogg Company, even suggested in her 1893 book Science in the Kitchen that “ground pop corn is considered a delectable dish eaten with milk or cream.” Making it was a breeze, and with popcorn being celebrated for its health perks, it’s a delightful and guaranteed crowd-pleaser for breakfast that you can whip up at home today.

11. Cream of Wheat

A type of wheat called farina, this was yet another comforting porridge breakfast option. Made with hot milk and often with maple syrup, maybe a little salt, it was like a warm hug in a bowl on winter mornings. It appeared in a North Dakota mill and emerged as a delightful way to kick off the day. It’s still available for purchase, but kids today might not be familiar with it.

Read More: Nutritionist Says Pizza Is A Healthier Breakfast Than Cereal

12. Eggnogs

Actually, we’re not discussing the eggnogs that come with the holiday season. We’re talking about breakfast eggnogs, you know, the kind my mum and dad would whip up on those early mornings before school. We thought it was a quick and healthy breakfast, but maybe not. It was made with milk, a couple of eggs, and some chocolate syrup, all blended together—an instant breakfast that turned out to be really tasty. But now, here we are, hearing that raw eggs can be risky because of salmonella. It really changed things for those busy parents trying to whip up a quick breakfast for school mornings.

13. S.O.S. Creamed Beef

It was called sh** on a shingle—a dish made of dried chipped beef and milk gravy served over toast (with the toast being the shingle). For many years, it was a breakfast staple for the United States Armed Forces, and if you look around, you might still spot it on the menu at some diners across the country. You can totally serve it over biscuits or potatoes too!

14. Scrapple

In Pennsylvania Dutch country, scrapple is considered the breakfast of champions. It was a popular morning meal during wartime because it was made from inexpensive ingredients. It was usually made with pork, cornmeal, flour, buckwheat flour, and spices, then shaped into a patty. It’s still popular in Pennsylvania and nearby states, but it seems to have lost its charm in other places.

15. Dutch Baby Pancake

So, you might assume this pancake comes from the Netherlands, but it actually seems to have started in the U.S.—specifically Seattle. At least, that’s what Sunset magazine says, and they really helped make it popular back in the 1950s. So, the story goes that it all started in a family restaurant called Manca’s Cafe back in the 1900s. So, unlike your usual pancakes that you make on a griddle, the Dutch Baby is actually baked in the oven. It’s not flat like a pancake; it actually collapses when you take it out of the oven, and it’s thicker too. They usually served the morning treat with some fruit toppings, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and a drizzle of syrup.

16. Egg in a Hole

Also called egg in a basket or toad in the hole, this classic breakfast from the turn of the century is a real winner—imagine a fried egg cooked right in the center of a slice of toast. Fannie Farmer’s famous 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book featured a recipe for a dish called egg with a hat, which was pretty much the same thing.

17. Shirred Eggs

Fanny Farmer, well-known for her 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, shared a recipe for shirred eggs in her next book, Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent. The dish was made in what Farmer referred to as an “egg stirrer,” which is basically a shallow gratin dish, kind of like a ramekin, for baking the eggs. It was a delicious and kind of fancy dish of baked eggs, with a touch of cream and Parmesan cheese.

18. Carnation Instant Breakfast

This was another quick breakfast whipped up when kids in the 1970s were running late for school or just needed something quick to eat. The powdered mix was available in flavors such as chocolate and strawberry. When you mix it with milk, it tastes amazing and is considered nutritious—“makes milk a meal” was the catchy tagline. When the kids chugged a glass, Mum felt like she was winning at parenting.