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Heather Arndt Anderson gives us an entertaining and lucid account of the world's most important meal! We've been waiting for an expert like her to shed light on the ways that people around the world break their fast. -- Andrea Broomfield I started reading Heather Arndt Anderson's Breakfast: A History while sipping my morning coffee and chewing on a bagel schmeared with cream cheese. I couldn't put the book down. It is well researched and brims with surprising facts placed into a broader historical and global context. It's a must-read for culinary historians as well as for breakfast lovers. -- Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America Breakfast: A History is at once sweet and savory as well as witty and well informed. It's enough to make this confirmed night-owl think about rising earlier each morning. -- Gary Allen Modern nutritionists proclaim breakfast the day's most important meal, yet many Americans eat it on the run, if at all, and they exhibit little consistency in the foods they consume. In that, they're much like people the world over. Arndt-Anderson surveys the history of breakfast, finding that over the centuries ideas about breakfast foods have run the gamut from simple cereals to elaborate repasts of meat, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. She recounts the story of the Kelloggs, whose unintended invention of cornflakes made dry cereal a staple in Western culture. The Chinese have always exhibited a fondness for rice gruel as their source of morning energy. Where people consume breakfast has evolved over the years, yielding a twentieth-century architectural innovation: the breakfast nook. Today people often dine out for breakfast, so the author catalogs various breakfast settings from fast-food restaurants to elegant venues for power breakfasts. She even details breakfasts in space and on death row. Booklist

Heather Arndt Anderson gives us an entertaining and lucid account of the world's most important meal! We've been waiting for an expert like her to shed light on the ways that people around the world break their fast. -- Andrea Broomfield I started reading Heather Arndt Anderson's Breakfast: A History while sipping my morning coffee and chewing on a bagel schmeared with cream cheese. I couldn't put the book down. It is well researched and brims with surprising facts placed into a broader historical and global context. It's a must-read for culinary historians as well as for breakfast lovers. -- Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America Breakfast: A History is at once sweet and savory as well as witty and well informed. It's enough to make this confirmed night-owl think about rising earlier each morning. -- Gary Allen

Heather Arndt Anderson gives us an entertaining and lucid account of the world's most important meal! We've been waiting for an expert like her to shed light on the ways that people around the world break their fast. -- Andrea Broomfield I started reading Heather Arndt Anderson's Breakfast: A History while sipping my morning coffee and chewing on a bagel schmeared with cream cheese. I couldn't put the book down. It is well researched and brims with surprising facts placed into a broader historical and global context. It's a must-read for culinary historians as well as for breakfast lovers. -- Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America Breakfast: A History is at once sweet and savory as well as witty and well informed. It's enough to make this confirmed night-owl think about rising earlier each morning. -- Gary Allen Advanced Review - Uncorrected Proof Issue: June 1, 2013 Modern nutritionists proclaim breakfast the day's most important meal, yet many Americans eat it on the run, if at all, and they exhibit little consistency in the foods they consume. In that, they're much like people the world over. Arndt-Anderson surveys the history of breakfast, finding that over the centuries ideas about breakfast foods have run the gamut from simple cereals to elaborate repasts of meat, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. She recounts the story of the Kelloggs, whose unintended invention of cornflakes made dry cereal a staple in Western culture. The Chinese have always exhibited a fondness for rice gruel as their source of morning energy. Where people consume breakfast has evolved over the years, yielding a twentieth-century architectural innovation: the breakfast nook. Today people often dine out for breakfast, so the author catalogs various breakfast settings from fast-food restaurants to elegant venues for power breakfasts. She even details breakfasts in space and on death row. - Mark Knoblauch Booklist Modern nutritionists proclaim breakfast the day's most important meal, yet many Americans eat it on the run, if at all, and they exhibit little consistency in the foods they consume. In that, they're much like people the world over. Arndt-Anderson surveys the history of breakfast, finding that over the centuries ideas about breakfast foods have run the gamut from simple cereals to elaborate repasts of meat, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. She recounts the story of the Kelloggs, whose unintended invention of cornflakes made dry cereal a staple in Western culture. The Chinese have always exhibited a fondness for rice gruel as their source of morning energy. Where people consume breakfast has evolved over the years, yielding a twentieth-century architectural innovation: the breakfast nook. Today people often dine out for breakfast, so the author catalogs various breakfast settings from fast-food restaurants to elegant venues for power breakfasts. She even details breakfasts in space and on death row. Booklist

Modern nutritionists proclaim breakfast the day's most important meal, yet many Americans eat it on the run, if at all, and they exhibit little consistency in the foods they consume. In that, they're much like people the world over. Arndt-Anderson surveys the history of breakfast, finding that over the centuries ideas about breakfast foods have run the gamut from simple cereals to elaborate repasts of meat, eggs, cheese, fruits, and vegetables. She recounts the story of the Kelloggs, whose unintended invention of cornflakes made dry cereal a staple in Western culture. The Chinese have always exhibited a fondness for rice gruel as their source of morning energy. Where people consume breakfast has evolved over the years, yielding a twentieth-century architectural innovation: the breakfast nook. Today people often dine out for breakfast, so the author catalogs various breakfast settings from fast-food restaurants to elegant venues for power breakfasts. She even details breakfasts in space and on death row. Booklist Though often hailed as the most important meal of the day, breakfast has not always been a universal custom. Food writer Arndt Anderson follows the evolution of the meal throughout history, comparing differences among cultures and explaining the origins of dishes commonly found on the breakfast table. Going all the way back to antiquity, the author begins with the societal transformations that led to the adoption of breakfast and explores the factors that resulted in changes to the meal, such as religion and the discovery of tea, coffee, and chocolate. The chapter Around the World in a Meal, for instance, covers familiar foods such as cereals, eggs, bacon, and pastries, as well as those eaten in other countries. Arndt Anderson also examines how the preparation of breakfast in the home has varied over time, influenced by advances in technology and women's changing roles. VERDICT The average reader will enjoy the insights into the roots of familiar foods, this book will mainly appeal to the dedicated reader with a specific interest in the subject Library Journal According to author Arndt Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien's hobbits had it right all along when it comes to breakfast. Their lives in the shire afforded them six meals a day, three of which [occurred] before lunch: breakfast, second breakfast, and elevenses... In this literary paean to the morning meal, Anderson provides historical, social, and cultural perspectives on breakfast consumption. She occasionally references foods traditionally eaten in other countries, looking at jook (rice porridge) in China, for example, and platters of feta, olives, figs, and cucumbers or fresh flatbread with labneh (spreadable yogurt cheese) in the Middle East. For the most part, however, the author focuses on matutinal meals in the United States and by extension England. She gives beverages such as coffee, tea and orange juice their due and provides significant background on the major players in the cold-cereal industry like Kellogg and Post. Further exploration of the physical spaces where people eat breakfast-coffeehouses, diners, mess halls and school cafeterias-enliven the narrative as well. Though Arndt Anderson's writing has pop culture undertones and the subject may appeal to a wide market, the price and format of the book suggest it's best suited in a specialized setting. Photos. Publishers Weekly Arndt Anderson shares the back story of our favorite morning meals in her book. The post picked some of the best anecdotes. New York Post Heather Arndt Anderson gives us an entertaining and lucid account of the world's most important meal! We've been waiting for an expert like her to shed light on the ways that people around the world break their fast. -- Andrea Broomfield, author of Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History I started reading Heather Arndt Anderson's Breakfast: A History while sipping my morning coffee and chewing on a bagel schmeared with cream cheese. I couldn't put the book down. It is well researched and brims with surprising facts placed into a broader historical and global context. It's a must-read for culinary historians as well as for breakfast lovers. -- Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America Breakfast: A History is at once sweet and savory as well as witty and well informed. It's enough to make this confirmed night-owl think about rising earlier each morning. -- Gary Allen, author of Sausage: A Global History

Heather Arndt Anderson gives us an entertaining and lucid account of the world's most important meal! We've been waiting for an expert like her to shed light on the ways that people around the world break their fast. -Andrea Broomfield, author of Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History -- Andrea Broomfield I started reading Heather Arndt Anderson's Breakfast: A History while sipping my morning coffee and chewing on a bagel schmeared with cream cheese. I couldn't put the book down. It is well researched and brims with surprising facts placed into a broader historical and global context. It's a must-read for culinary historians as well as for breakfast lovers. -Andrew F. Smith, Editor-in-Chief, The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink -- Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief, Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Author Information

Heather Arndt Anderson is a Portland, Oregon–based food writer. Her recipes have been published in the cookbook One Big Table: 600 Recipes from the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-Masters, and Chefs, and she is a contributing writer to the magazines The Farmer General and Remedy Quarterly. In her food blog, Voodoo & Sauce, the most popular posts are about breakfast.

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