The Continental breakfast It is defined as the first meal of the day, which is consumed in the morning hours and which can be found mainly in hotels. It is generally served in the European continent, North America and other parts of the world as an alternative to the English breakfast and as a healthier alternative to the 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 for 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 breakfasts 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).
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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..
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.
During the second half of the 19th century and in the early 20th century, many cities in the western United States became highly urbanized. Between 1870 and 1920 the population of the United States increased from 10 million to 54 million inhabitants. 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 in this way the continental breakfast was born..
Before the 19th century, those guests who hired a room in a hotel took it for granted that they would receive all three meals a day. However, the new emerging American class was bound to receive better rates on their trips, 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).
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.
The continental breakfast consists of different breads and baked goods. Common foods include toast, donuts, cinnamon rolls, croissants, buns, and puff pastry. Greasy, 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, white or prepared with cereals. Bread is usually served with butter, jam, or jelly.
The most popular drinks in the continental breakfast include hot coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. In some buffets you can find fresh or canned fruit juices and milk.
Coffee is the most common drink for a continental breakfast. There are several coffee alternatives available, such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, mocha, or americano..
Most hotels offer the alternative of adding artificial sweeteners, sugar, and creams in their bar to personalize the drinks to taste. Sometimes there are only two different types of drinks to consume with breakfast.
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..
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.
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 the same.
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..
Currently there are basically two types of breakfasts served in hotels and restaurants in Europe: continental and English..
Continental breakfast is the group of foods consumed during the first meal of the day in continental Europe. On the other hand, it is defined as English breakfast to the first meal of the day that is consumed in the British Isles. There are wide and marked differences between continental and English breakfasts.
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, 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 can include a boiled egg and at no time does it include fried foods in its bar.
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..
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 dishes and may include pudding, kidneys, mushrooms, and French fries (Andrews, 1980).
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 cruet.
Includes a sugar container, sugar tongs, a tea pot, a saucer, a teaspoon, fish cutlery, dinner cutlery, ham, jam and honey.
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 a 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).
The most consumed food in hotels in Europe is breakfast since travelers usually consume breakfast in their hotels. The continental breakfast is offered in a plan that includes the room and breakfast and its 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 with small sweet rolls in the kitchens of the suites for the consumption of their guests.
Despite the decrease in the consumption of morning food in Europe, continental breakfast is still in force and can be found both in continental plans and in 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).
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