Eggs Benedict is a classic breakfast that you can find in diners and restaurants everywhere. Whether you’ve tried to make it yourself or you leave it to the pros, everyone who enjoys Eggs Benedict can appreciate why this dish has stayed popular. But why is it called “Eggs Benedict”? Is it named after someone called Benedict, or does the name have a less obvious origin? The truth is that we don’t exactly know, but there are three theories that attempt to explain the origin of this breakfast favorite.
Let’s take a look at the three theories that brought Eggs Benedict to our breakfast tables.
Delmonico’s Restaurant
The first—and most widely accepted—theory is that Eggs Benedict had their start at Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City in the 1860s. According to this story, a regular patron of the restaurant, a Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, wanted something different for lunch. Because she was such a good customer, the chef, Charles Ranhofer, whipped up something new just for her. Mrs. Benedict was very happy with her meal, and Chef Ranhofer named it after her when he added it to the menu.
Waldorf Hotel
Our second theory stays in New York City, but it takes us ahead in time to the early 1900s and over to the Waldorf Hotel. The Benedict in this story is one Lemuel Benedict, a stockbroker with a hangover. The hotel’s maître d’hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, came up with the dish as a hangover cure. Whether or not it worked, we may never know, but Lemuel thought it was tasty, and Oscar later included the recipe in his cookbook.
Commodore Benedict
Our last theory takes us back to the 1860s, but we’re still in New York. The story goes that a yachtsman and banker named Commodore E.C. Benedict requested that a restaurant make the dish for him. Whether the recipe was his own or someone else’s is unknown, but apparently, the restaurant obliged. Commodore Benedict was so pleased with his meal that he asked for it to be named after him.
There’s no mystery about breakfast at The English Muffin!
The mystery of the origins of Eggs Benedict may never be cracked (see what we did there?), but we’re pretty confident that someone named Benedict had something to do with it. We just don’t know which one! What isn’t a mystery, however, is that it’s delicious.
