The most important meal of the day for the Irish is breakfast. Breakfast includes plenty of protein and carbohydrates. This combination would keep farmers full during a long day on the farm. Alongside breakfast, a cup of tea is necessary. Breakfast without tea is unheard of in Ireland. For a perfect Irish breakfast you'll need a friend, a kettle and lots of protein.
Breakfast includes eggs, toast, sausage, boiled tomatoes, hashbrowns, eggs, bacon and white and black pudding. For Americans, it's typical to have an egg with sausage, toast, bacon and hashbrowns; however, tomatoes and pudding? I have had boiled tomatoes before with dinner, but pudding was something I had heard of, and it was not looking forward to trying. Pudding is somewhat like a hashbrown in terms of shape and texture. It is made out of oatmeal, fat, pork, and bread. The difference between white and black pudding is that black pudding contains pig blood!
While I do love a hearty breakfast, I was not at all excited about trying pudding; but it is an Irish breakfast essential. I couldn't, therefore, leave Ireland without having it! I tried the white pudding first and was surprised to find out I actually kind of liked it. After a few bites, the white pudding grew on me; however, I was avoiding the black pudding like the plague.
