National Eggs Benedict Day Date in the current year: April 16, 2024

There are different origin stories explaining the invention of eggs Benedict. The most common one says that a retired Wall Street stock broker was looking for a cure for his morning hangover and wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894. He ordered buttered toast, poached eggs and bacon topped with hollandaise sauce. Oscar Tschirky, the maître d'hôtel, loved this combination of products and decided to add the dish to the breakfast and luncheon menus, but substituted toast with toasted English muffin. He named the new dish eggs Benedict after the customer.

There are different versions of eggs Benedict that have evolved over time. Among the most popular are eggs Blackstone (with ham instead of bacon and a slice of tomato), huevos Benedictos (with avocado or chorizo instead of bacon and topped with hollandaise and salsa), eggs Sardou (with artichoke bottoms and creamed spinach), portobello Benedict (with mushrooms instead of bacon), eggs Atlantic (with salmon instead of bacon), and eggs Provençal (with Béarnaise sauce instead of hollandaise).