Egg Breakfast Muffins
People have eaten eggs from various bird species throughout recorded history. The ancestors of the domesticated chickens we rely on today for eggs trace back to South and Southeast Asia before 7,500 BCE. By 246 BCE, the Chinese had already invented duck egg incubators.
But by the Middle Ages, most Europeans did not regard breakfast as a necessary meal. Instead, they stuck with eating two formal meals per day, typically at midday and in the evening.
Occasionally, children, the sick, the elderly, or working men would eat breakfast. However, people generally tried to avoid the morning meal because it meant that you were a poor, low-status laborer who needed the extra calories to sustain the morning’s workload.
Breakfasts during the Middle Ages usually consisted of bread and cheese without any meat. For protein, some farmers in the Middle Ages may have had a single large boiled egg with their breakfast, washed down with “small beer.”
However, by the 15th century, noblemen began to catch onto how good breakfast could be. These higher-status men started indulging in breakfasts that often included meat, making a morning meal more of a common practice. By the 16th century, breakfast became a customary practice in Europe and began looking more like our modern conception of a continental breakfast.
Eggs naturally became a breakfast staple because chickens and most other birds lay their eggs in the morning, and it made sense for farmers to eat the eggs at their freshest.
In 1669, one of the oldest known cookbooks, The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened, promoted eggs as one of the best breakfast foods. Sir Digby, who was chancellor to Queen Henrietta Maria, suggested having two poached eggs with your morning meal.
This glowing recommendation from such a prominent public figure helped eggs start earning the appreciation they deserved from society’s upper classes.
Though relatively small, eggs pack a lot of nutrition and can be an important staple in a well-balanced diet. One large boiled egg has about 77 calories and contains vitamins A, B5, B12, D, E, K, B6, calcium, zinc, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of healthy fats.
Eating eggs for breakfast can help with weight management, increase muscle mass, lower blood pressure and help our bones, as well.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks, then beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks. Fold in the yolks with most of the grated mozzarella, smoked paprika and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then divide the egg mix between muffin moulds.
Top each muffin with some more grated mozzarella, then bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/392°F for 10 minutes.
Egg Breakfast Muffins
Ingredients
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks, then beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks. Fold in the yolks with most of the grated mozzarella, smoked paprika and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then divide the egg mix between muffin moulds.
- Top each muffin with some more grated mozzarella, then bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes.
