How Steak And Eggs Became A Breakfast Icon

You can find buttery, delicious steak and eggs on almost any diner menu. The humble, protein-heavy dish is a breakfast staple for many Americans. Though not as ubiquitous as, say, bacon and eggs or a stack of buttermilk pancakes, the dish holds a certain rugged appeal that has garnered a devoted following. But how did this beef-forward dish become a national breakfast food icon? Well, it all started in Australia. 

Though the dish's existence was documented in England and America as far back as the 19th century, Australia popularized steak and eggs. The nation's cattle business took off in the 1800s after Europeans introduced cows to the country, and beef became widely available. Australians began to eat the mix of poultry and steak by the 1880s as a satisfying and satiating meal. It likely helped many laborers get through a hard day's work. 

It wasn't until World War II that the dish was introduced to Americans via the military. From there, steak and eggs quickly became a staple meal at restaurants and kitchen tables across America — it even went space-bound! This, of course, is just the short of it. The move from an Australian farmer favorite to one of America's most essential meals is a story that spans centuries.

Steak and eggs began as an Australian classic

During the late 19th and early 20th century in Australia, steak and eggs were more than a fuel for physical labor, but also the fulfillment of a promise. Upon arrival on the continent, Australian settlers were promised "meat three times a day," according to an essay in the Australian magazine Meanjin. This was a luxury unheard of for many of the working class in England. Most laborers in the country throughout the 1800s, rich or poor, seemed to be eating meat at every meal. The popularity of steak and eggs grew along with the cattle industry in Australia, and soon the dish became a popular menu item at many Australian restaurants and cafes. The dish countered mutton, an Australian staple, as a popular protein as the nation's agriculture industry began to prosper.

However, it wasn't until the early 20th century that the dish became, effectively, Australia's national dish. In 1926, a poem was published in the Perth publication Truth in reverence of the dish. The closing couplet gives no small amount of love to the food, with the speaker declaring "And if I don't rise up and eat it, well, then, I'll be jiggered indeed, / For a Heaven is only a Heaven, but hot steak and eggs are a feed!"

To America and beyond!

Steak and eggs did not remain a singularly Australian tradition, however. In the 1940s, World War II erupted across both Europe and the Pacific, and with the Second World War came beef rations. Many Australians were forced onto a diet of mutton, which is still enjoyed throughout the country today.

Australia served as a stronghold for Allied forces in the Pacific, with many American Marines stationing there for service. Though in general, the popularity of steak and eggs in Australia dipped during this time, the meal did prove to be a crossover hit among Marines stationed in Australia — so much so that the United States Marine Corps began serving the meal to its soldiers. Anecdotal evidence indicates that it was the last meal served to troops before dangerous landings. After the war, soldiers brought their love for the dish back to America, and by the 1960s, steak and eggs was a widely eaten breakfast food. 

Americans loved the meal so much, in fact, that we took it to space (kind of). Steak and eggs was the meal served to America's first space-bound astronaut, Alan Shephard, before his inaugural trip. The dish was selected by Beatrice Finkelstein of the Aerospace Medical Laboratory, who chose it based on its low fiber content (which reduced the chance of bathroom emergencies). The meal soon became a pre-launch tradition of NASA astronauts and still holds significance for many who participated in the space program. Buzz Aldrin posted a photo of himself eating steak and eggs to X in 2023 in celebration of the 54th anniversary of Apollo 11's launch, which brought him, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins, to the moon. Maybe the moon isn't made of cheese after all. Maybe, just maybe, it is made of steak and eggs!

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