When one thinks of different kinds of meals, the most popular meal of all has
to be brunch. A brunch is the perfect combination of sleeping in and a
sumptuous meal. We serve brunch in Fulham every day of the week, but if
we take a look in history we will see that traditionally brunch only occurred on Sundays.
The origins of the infamous brunch are, just like many other culinary
traditions, a bit hazy. Some might point towards England, where families
would host big hunt breakfasts and others think that brunch derives from
the practice of Catholics fasting before mass and then sitting down for
a large meal after. A thing that is certain, and quite logical, is the
fact that the word ‘brunch’ is a playful combination of the words
‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’. This word appeared for the first time in 1895,
in a Hunter’s Weekly article.
Around 1930 brunch had found its way to the United States, where
traveling Hollywood stars would take a pit stop in Chicago, where they
would enjoy a late morning meal. Hotels would dish out this meal mainly,
since restaurants were closed on Sundays. But it did not take long
before restaurants caught up on the trend and started serving brunch,
often accompanied with the now signature cocktails, such as Bloody
Marys, Bellinis and Mimosas.
Stanford University professor Carl Degler explained why Sunday brunch
gained so much popularity back in the days: “Sunday dinner became
important because it was the only time people could eat together as a
family unit during the week at the onset of urbanization and
industrialization, 150 years ago,” (Chicago Tribune, 1980). Chefs,
however, were not all pleased by this new trend. They were expected to
create a menu for Sunday midday, after a busy Saturday evening.
At Shot we are very pleased to serve you brunch in Fulham seven days a
week! Our brunch dishes are lovingly made from the freshest ethically
sourced ingredients.