The three reasons to get started mid-morning in the Catalan Countries

The fork breakfast has left its ostracism behind. And that's not even the most Instagrammable food in the world, especially when it consists of a succulent plate of small plates. Even so, it is one of the few bastions that preserve traditional Catalan recipes and has become more visible with initiatives such as the collaborative map Esmorzapp, which already lists more than 2,500 places where you can enjoy a hearty breakfast. It was promoted by journalist and gastronome Albert Molins, who has now taken his vindication of this small feast a step further with the publication of the book Fork breakfast (Cosetania, 2025). He recently presented it at one of the most famous breakfast bars, the historic Gelida bar in Barcelona.

After a huge amount of research into the origins of this dish—which all indications are that it's a reminder of the food from when people only ate two meals a day—and delving into the breakfast ritual, as well as the most classic dishes and some of the best establishments where you can enjoy the only place to chat over a mid-morning meal, which is like a second breakfast. The best-known example is perhaps the English breakfast, but hearty breakfasts can even be found in Thailand, and you don't have to go far from Catalonia to discover other ways to enjoy them. In Valencia, they have breakfast, and in the Balearic Islands, they have afternoon tea.

The fork breakfast: local references are just over a century old

The origin of the fork breakfast lies in the need to introduce a mid-morning meal that would hold off the appetite until lunchtime, like peasants, merchants, and workers. The Odyssey Homer's, which is believed to have been written in the 8th century BC, already has some references and is a food related to ancient customs, such as gabelfrühstück German and Austrian, which can be translated as 'fork breakfast', and which is a word that comes from French hairpin, invented in 1804 at the Café Hardy in Paris. There, it was a meal based on grilled ribs, kidneys, sausages, and other cuts of meat, then only available to the wealthy bourgeoisie.

In Catalonia, it's a popular cuisine that used to be found in the "fondas de sisos" (small restaurants): for six cuartos (about three cents of a peseta), a popular and very affordable meal was offered. Although the Ampurdan writer Josep Pla is often credited with coining the term, fork breakfast According to a story of his about the Fonda Europa in Granollers – still a temple of breakfast food today – it probably existed before it was given a name, and there are references to it at least as far back as 1905 and to the feast itself, from the late 19th century. For Molins, today it has a hedonistic and vindictive character: "It's fun, it's convivial, it's linked to other leisure opportunities – going for a run, a bike ride, or getting to know a place – it's Catalan cuisine, and it's identity."

Molins also talks about the breakfast ritual, in which alcohol can play a prominent role: one can start by drinking a mixed drink, a very cold mixture of anise and muscatel, continue with a dish accompanied by another drink—maybe wine—and end at most with cura seed and a porrón of muscatel—in the journalist's opinion, not because of the journalist. As for the dishes, they tend to be stews and casseroles, eggs and omelets, and grilled meat. In the book, Molins admits that food can carry the stigma of being excessive, "a very mistaken idea full of prejudices from junkies and doers," given that generally only one dish is eaten, which should allow for eating later, and not every day. Furthermore, he believes that it should start between six-thirty and nine in the morning, with ten o'clock as the cutoff time.

The Valencian breakfast: convoying to eat a championship sandwich

While tucking into a hearty sandwich isn't exactly a forkful of breakfast, as Molins emphasizes, championship sandwiches do feature prominently in the Valencian breakfast scene, which has also taken off with the #lunchculture map of breakfast temples and the Cacau d'Or Awards. Some sandwiches have names, like the white and black, the chivito, or the brascada, and it seems like they fit everything: cuts of meat accompanied by onion, broad beans, ham..., carnivorous dishes like figatells, tortillas, or cuttlefish with mayonnaise. Breakfast is usually served between nine and eleven in the morning, with lots of people enjoying a leisure activity together. Valencians are quick to say that "nowhere is breakfast like in Valencia," Molins recalls.

There are indications from the first half of the 19th century that a good breakfast was an act linked to the Valencian people, with a strong connection to bread, but not only that. In the Valencian Country, breakfasts are also made with succulent delicacies, such as stews and corn cakes at the Safor or Marina fairs, and on special occasions, such as the herring with green pepper and fried egg at the Xàtiva Fair. Before starting, a cazalla may be offered. To accompany the drink—often beer or wine—while waiting for the sandwich or main course, the gastronomy or picaeta (initial snack) is served, which can be olives, fried cacao (peanuts), lupins, a tomato and onion salad... At the end, coffee is also offered, even as part of the flat rate.

The Mallorcan snack, the varied and the fried

When you think of the first substantial meal of the morning in the Balearic Islands, Molins details in the book, you think of Mallorca and its variety, although the truth is that it can be eaten at almost any time of day and is now more common at midday. Legend has it that the origin of the variety dates back to the 1950s, when a group of tourists asked to sample the main dishes served at a village bar in Mallorca, which decided to serve some of its signature dishes in a clay pot (almodillo). The ritual is to approach the bar or window, see what's on offer, and order: from Russian salad to Mallorcan fritter (fried liver with potatoes and peppers), to marinated fish and vegetables, but today you can also find other delicacies such as potato omelette or Frankfurters with ketchup.

In Mallorca and Menorca, breakfast is called merienda. There are dishes shared by all the islands, but they vary in name. The Mallorcan fritter, which can be found in the varied menu, is the Menorcan fritter and the Ibizan fritter. The Maó fritter is the Ciutadella marraneo, and the Ferreries almadroc is the chanfaina. In the case of Menorca, they also have a unique history, partly due to having been under British rule for almost a century, between 1708 and 1802. Back in the day, anyone forced to get up early might need make eleven mid-morning, a term that refers to English elevenses, which refers to the light snack eaten between breakfast and lunch, and which became popular in the United Kingdom and later in the United States.