What do you get when you place poached eggs on an English muffin with savory ham and then cover the whole thing with a rich Hollandaise sauce? You end up with one of the most elegant and well-regarded breakfast dishes currently made. It’s a dish that’s been enjoyed by everyone from stockbrokers to the Pope and everyone in between for the past 125+ years. It also has its own holiday, celebrated on April 16th every year, known as National Eggs Benedict Day.

The History of Eggs Benedict

According to legend, Eggs Benedict was first invented at Delmonico’s in Lower Manhattan in 1860. At this time, we are unable to confirm if that is true or not. We do know that one of the former chefs of Delmonico’s, Chef Charles Ranhofer, published a recipe for Eggs à la Benedick in 1894, so it’s certainly possible. At this time, we also couldn’t find out when National Eggs Benedict Day was invented either.

Popular Eggs Benedict Variations

Many people realize that poached eggs on English muffins with Canadian bacon or ham covered with Hollandaise sauce is the standard for Eggs Benedict. What fewer people realize, however, is that this dish also has quite a few variations that are also pretty good. To help everyone expand their options on National Eggs Benedict Day, we decided to go ahead and list some of these variations.

• Country Style Eggs Benedict (made with country gravy instead of Hollandaise).
• Eggs Benedict Burgers (yes, Eggs Benedict using two English muffins and a beef burger patty).
• Eggs Hemingway (made with salmon instead of ham).
• Eggs Florentine (spinach used in place of the Canadian bacon).
• Huevos Benedictos (made with eggs, chorizo, avocado, salsa, and Hollandaise sauce).
• Irish Benedict (made with either Irish bacon or corned beef instead of Canadian bacon).
• Blue Duck Eggs Benedict (made with English muffins, poached eggs, Hollandaise, and duck).
• Eggs Chesapeake (made with an added crab cake).
• Steak Benedict (made with a small piece of steak and sometimes known as Eggs Omar).
• Pulled Pork Benedict (pulled BBQ pork is substituted for the Canadian bacon or ham).
• Eggs Blackstone (made with an added piece of bacon and a slice of tomato).
• Eggs Benedict con Queso (made with con queso instead of Hollandaise sauce).

Observing National Eggs Benedict Day

National Eggs Benedict Day can be observed by enjoying whatever type of Eggs Benedict you enjoy. It doesn’t matter if it’s a traditional one or one of the variants that we listed above. You can make it yourself or go to one of the many restaurants all over the world that serve this tasty dish. But before you bite into whatever version of Eggs Benedict you like, make sure that you take a picture of it and post it on social media using the hashtag #NationalEggsBenedictDay. Let everyone know you’re enjoying this great dish.