why are they called eggs benedict

Step into any restaurant serving Sunday Brunch and you are likely to come across at least one variation of Eggs Benedict on the menu. This rich and oh-so-satisfying dish is a favorite among weekend brunchers, in part because its not the simplest dish to recreate at home. The main components of a classic Eggs Benedict include poached eggs over Canadian bacon and an English muffin, all of which comes covered in a generous drizzle of hollandaise sauce. Its a savory and filling meal that customers cannot seem to get enough of — but where did Eggs Benedict come from, exactly?

As it turns out, the history of Eggs Benedict is rather complicated, with no agreed-upon origin story. Its actually a tale filled with drama thanks to some disputed claims about the first person to ask for this dish. Who even comes up with hollandaise sauce over poached eggs anyway? The answer is far more complicated than you might think, so get ready to go on a twisting story that spans over one hundred years.

The dish is named after a New York City stockbroker named Lemuel Benedict, who, in 1894, ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise” at the Waldorf Hotel.

The Eggs Benedict we know today was probably invented during the Gilded Age

The most likely origins of Eggs Benedict take the story back to the Gilded Age, a period in American history around the late 1800s. It was a time when railroads were expanding from coast to coast, and families like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers were earning their riches. At the same time, the Gilded Age was a period of immigration, with millions arriving in America looking for work and a new life. With so much change happening around the country, its no wonder that the Gilded Age saw the birth of various dishes and meals people still enjoy to this day.

However, while Eggs Benedict is believed to have emerged from the Gilded Age, there are two competing stories regarding the exact origin of the dish. Both stories involve hungry customers looking for a new way to satiate their hunger and accidentally inventing a dish that would become known the world over in the process. Though both stories will eventually intertwine, the reality of when Eggs Benedict was invented likely comes down to one of these two scenarios.

“We like to think that the eggs Benedict was really invented at the Waldorf, the original Waldorf-Astoria by the great Oscar of the Waldorf,” said Marc Ehrler, the corporate chef of the Americas for Hilton Worldwide, former owners of the New York City hotel. “Oscar of the Waldorf” is Oscar Tschirky, who was working at the Waldorf-Astoria when it opened and served as its maître d for decades. Tschirkys presence became so synonymous with the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel that, according to his obituary in the New York Times, theres at least one occasion when “he had forgotten his own name” since he was so used to being referred to as “of the Waldorf.”

Now this seems like a straightforward enough origin story, and one thats ostensibly hard to dispute, given that the first published recipe for eggs Benedict appeared in Ranhofers book. But Delmonicos isnt the only New York City institution to lay claim to the dish.

Delmonico’s also claims to be the first restaurant to serve eggs Benedict, which, quite frankly, seems like a pedestrian milestone for a place that pioneered the concept of using fancy linens to wipe food off of peoples faces. After all, eggs Benedict is a fairly simple dish, with only four components: eggs, bacon, English muffin, and hollandaise sauce. But the origin of the eggs Benedict is and steeped in the lore of New York City’s Gilded Age, when robber barons ran the town and fine dining consisted of multi-course meals and bespoke menu cards. The true history of the eggs Benedict is as murky as the identity of the human who created the eggs Benedict in the first place.

Heres the twist: Before he was Oscar of the Waldorf, Tschirsky worked at Delmonicos as a waiter and likely overlapped in the kitchen with Ranhofer. And while theres no evidence that Tschirsky stole the recipe from Delmonicos and brought it over to the then-new Waldorf-Astoria, its not totally out of the question, especially since the recipe for eggs Benedict was already in print by the time Lemuel Benedict showed up at the Waldorf after a long night of drinking. “I think at this point, the only one who really knows the answer to this is Oscar and he took it with himself,” Ehrler said.

When a restaurant has been around for almost 200 years, it earns the right to brag about its history. Delmonico’s, located in Manhattans Financial District, has certainly racked up a long list of accomplishments since it was founded in 1837 by the Swiss-born Delmonico brothers. The restaurants current executive chef, Bill Olivia, likes to call it a restaurant of firsts. Delmonicos was the “First restaurant to use the word restaurant,” he told me. “First restaurant to use tablecloths. First restaurant to use printed menus. First restaurant to hire women.”

What’s the difference between Eggs Benedict, Eggs Royale and Eggs Florentine?

FAQ

Is Eggs Benedict named after Benedict Arnold?

What is the meaning of egg Benedict?

What is so special about Eggs Benedict?

Is Eggs Benedict named after the Pope?

What do you know about Eggs Benedict?

The most important thing to know about eggs Benedict is that they have nothing to do with the famed traitor Benedict Arnold. Learn with Us! Check out our lineup of courses taught by world-class experts from around the world. See Courses

What is the best way to eat an egg for protein other than poached or benedict?

You can eat eggs in multiple ways. The healthiest preparations include mixed preparations such as vegetable pies, omelets, souffle, or scrambled eggs with vegetables. The general recommendation is to avoid frying as a cooking method.

Where did Eggs Benedict come from?

The name of eggs Benedict has at least two possible origin stories, according to Atlas Obscura. Famous New York City steakhouse Delmonico’s is one possible location. In the late 1800s, Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, regular patrons of the restaurant, asked for a special order one morning that were basically what we know as an eggs Benedict.

Why was Eggs Benedict named after Mr & Mrs Legrand Benedict?

According to Delmonico’s legend, eggs Benedict was created for and named after restaurant regulars Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict in the 1860s. “What I know is simply that Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict came all the time,” chef Olivia said.