Breakfast is the first meal of the day, the meal that fuels your body and gives you the boost you need to get going. While not everyone has breakfast first thing, many staples found in the day’s first meal can be and are enjoyed throughout the day. The meal should be filling and nutrient-rich to gain the highest energy and brain power. However, popular staples have changed over the years, and here are 15 classics rarely, if ever, found in the kitchen today.
1. Spam for Breakfast

Although spam is still available in grocery stores, the canned meat was once a breakfast staple found in almost every home. It became popular during WW2, as it “mimicked” meat and was more affordable when the U.S. was rationing supplies. It’s still on shelves but isn’t as popular for breakfast unless you go to Hawaii, where Spam and Eggs are still on almost every menu.
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2. Dippy Eggs for Breakfast

An old-fashioned breakfast classic like Dippy Eggs has a sense of nostalgia but isn’t seen on breakfast menus throughout the U.S. Instead, states like Pennsylvania and Maryland still provide this classic breakfast offering on their menus. Meanwhile, many people in the U.S. have never had the breakfast staple, sunny-side-up eggs with toast for dipping into the yolk.
3. Cinnamon Toast

Admittedly, this breakfast staple is a childhood favorite for many. The comfort food was simple yet satisfying, a combination of butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
4. Milk Toast for Breakfast

Similar to cinnamon toast, this classic breakfast offering was simple to make yet satisfying and delicious. It’s just toast with warm milk, butter, and sugar and in many cases, various seasonings like salt and pepper or cinnamon. However, lactose intolerance is common so this staple is rarely served for breakfast today.
5. Johnnycakes

Johnnycakes are a part of U.S. history, a recipe used by the Native Americans. The recipe is simplistic, cornmeal, boiled water, and salt. Purportedly, the mixture created pancake-like discs and was first published in the New England Cook Book in 1909.
6. Hoecakes

Almost identical to Johnnycakes, hoecakes are another old-fashioned breakfast staple rarely seen today. Hoecakes consisted of the same ingredients as Johnnycakes but were prepared differently. They were baked over a fire.
7. Popovers for Breakfast

A popover is similar to “Yorkshire Pudding,” light and hollow. It was served warm with jam and was in the New England Cookbook in the 1850s. Meanwhile, Portland, Oregon had another version; savory and made with garlic and herbs.
8. Maypo

Maypo hit the market in the 1950s and quickly became a popular breakfast staple. Maypo was a maple-flavored instant oatmeal. Today, traditional oatmeal suited to taste is a more common alternative.
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9. Scrapple for Breakfast

Scrapple is a Pennsylvania Dutch classic. The affordable meat alternative consists of ground pork, cornmeal, bleached flour, and buckwheat flour. It’s topped with spices and seasonings then formed into a patty and baked or fried. It’s still common in the region today but is rarely found elsewhere in the U.S.
10. S-O-S

S-O-S Creamed beef was a popular and affordable staple for breakfast, The dish combined milk gravy and dried sliced beef, which was served over toast, a biscuit, or potatoes. The staple was a classic in many homes on a budget during difficult economic times and for the U.S. Armed Forces.
11. Carnation Instant Breakfast

Carnation Instant Breakfast hit the market in the 1970s, promising to deliver various vitamins and nutrients in a quick, easy, and delicious breakfast. The powdered drink mix came in kid-friendly flavors like strawberry and chocolate and the slogan was that it ”makes milk a meal.” The beverage highly pushed for building strong healthy bones and teeth.
12. Shirred Eggs

An 1896 Boston cookbook described a spin on the breakfast classic, baked eggs. Fanny Farmer, the author, created a recipe for cooking the eggs in a shallow dish with a dash of cream and Parmesan cheese. The delicious breakfast offering was an elegant take on a breakfast classic. However, delicious it may sound, it’s no longer on the menu in most places across the U.S.
13. Dutch Babies

The Dutch baby was a large and fluffy substance similar to a pancake but lighter. It was baked in the oven, causing it to rise and become airy. It was introduced to the U.S. in the 1950s and quickly became a favorite breakfast for families everywhere.
14. Wheatena

Wheatena, a hot toasted wheat cereal hit the market in 1879 from a bakery on Mulberry Street. While it’s not as popular as it was, Wheatena is still on the market and is produced in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, Cream of Wheat and similar products are still on shelves and provide a comforting and filling breakfast option.
15. Egg in a Hole

Lastly, this simple and cost-effective breakfast offering was nutritional and filling. A hole was cut into the center of a piece of toast and then fried or grilled to create a breakfast staple that reminds many of their childhood homes or visits with their grandparents.
H/t Eat This, Not That
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