All About Eggs Benedict

Written by Samuel Phineas Upham

During the 1890s, there were two restaurants in New York that were posh and virtually ubiquitous with high-class city living. During this time, the Waldorf Astoria and Delmonico’s were each working on a recipe that would endure for ages since.

Unfortunately, the story is somewhat shrouded in mystery. There are basic facts we know, such as the fact that eggs benedict was created without care for trans fats and other healthy red flags we know of today. The dish harkens back to a period of time largely forgotten to history, where people dined on things because they were delicious. Not because they were healthy.

This brunch favorite started in 1942, though there are written records of the dish having been ordered before then. Apparently, a stock broker named Lemuel Benedict ordered it for breakfast in 1894, a story popularized by an article in the New Yorker.

Lemuel was known for tipping well at the restaurants he frequented. He was known to be dashing, and quite the ladies man as well. He frequently appeared in newspaper columns about high society.

The morning in question, he also had a hangover. Perhaps this is what drove him to order a plate of poached eggs, a side of bacon, buttered toast and a small pitcher of hollandaise sauce. As he was piecing together his meal, he caught the eye of the maître d’hotel. After testing the meal, the maître had the concoction officially put on the menu, substituting ham for bacon.

Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor from NYC and SF. You may contact Samuel Phineas Upham on his Samuel Phineas Upham website