Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, in this fast-paced world, we don’t always have time to make breakfast and take our time enjoying the most important meal of our day.

Most of us either skip it, have something fast and simple like cereal or get it to go.

Photo: YouTube/Mental Floss

Personally, I’m one who gets mine on the go for convenience. But, there is one breakfast staple that is the perfect on-the-go meal: the breakfast sandwich!

It really is the best. It’s easy to make so you’re not stuck waiting ages for it to be made. It’s a sandwich, so you can eat it on the go, and it’s delicious since it’s got the basic breakfast items we love: egg, cheese, and some form of meat, whether that’s sausage, bacon, or ham. You can’t go wrong with a breakfast sandwich.

Photo: YouTube/Mental Floss

But what are the origins of this humble lifesaver?

Justin Dodd of the Mental Floss series “Food History” has all the answers. Dodd takes a look specifically at the BEC or bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and how it has become a staple of the American breakfast scene.

As explained in the video, “People have been eating bacon, eggs, and cheese, individually or in some combination, for centuries, but the famous breakfast sandwich that’s ubiquitous in New York City and other parts of the American northeast is a surprisingly recent phenomenon.”

Photo: YouTube/Mental Floss

Also coming up in the analysis is the type of bread on which this sandwich is served, which is usually some form of a roll.

He further adds, “When New Yorkers complain about not being able to find their favorite breakfast item in other states, I think they’re really saying they can’t find the same kind of roll. Called a hard roll or kaiser roll… It provides a perfect textural backdrop for a bacon egg and cheese…. It adds an extra level of crunch and will survive if you eat it on the street, as Mother Nature intended.”

Photo: YouTube/Mental Floss

Granted, if you’re Kosher or Halal, the BEC would not be for you. But, overall, for others, it makes a great combination between fat, protein, and carbs – all the stuff needed in order to get the body started for the day.

Check out the video below:

What is your go-to breakfast? Let us know!

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