Explore Breakfasts Around The World

Someone, somewhere across the globe is eating breakfast right this second – it might even be you. Despite time differences, oceans and cultural customs, people have long started the day by ‘breaking their fast’ – that’s where the name comes from! – but the dishes eaten first thing in the morning vary significantly in different parts of the world.

In some places, breakfast resembles what we in the UK would class as our evening meal, with stews, sushi and even spring rolls on the menu for breakfast.

Here we take a look at what’s for breakfast around the world, with a few ideas you might like to try for yourself!

Let’s begin our journey in the Middle East, with a dish you may already be aware of, particularly if you’ve been browsing other people’s breakfasts on Instagram. Shakshuka is a one-pot dish made from tomatoes, peppers, usually a few chilli flakes, beans and eggs, which is then baked in the oven – you might have also heard it referred to as baked eggs.

Shakshuka can be enjoyed on its own, or you could dunk some freshly-baked bread, or toast, into your egg yolk or the tomato sauce. Try Green Kitchen Stories’ recipe for shakshuka on a budget if you want to have a go yourself.

If you’re familiar with Japanese food, you’ll recognise a lot of the dishes on a typical wafuu (that means traditional) breakfast menu in Japan, as they’re items you’ll usually see on the dinner menu too. We’ve heard of brinner (breakfast for dinner), but dreakfast…?

Foods like sushi, raw fish, seaweed and rice are eaten at all times of day in Japan, which may seem a little strange for those of us used to eating such different meals in the morning and evening. We would never dream of having beef stew and mashed potato for breakfast – that is a relatively healthy, filling meal though, so maybe we should try it?!

China has a similar approach to breakfast as Japan. You’ll be familiar with spring rolls, steamed buns, dumplings and rice soup as starters in your local Chinese restaurant, but they often crop up on the breakfast table in Chinese households too.

Does this justify eating cold Chinese from the night before the next day? As a one-off maybe, but you could also prepare a Chinese breakfast specialty from scratch, which would seriously impress any overnight guests. The Woks of Life has a recipe for Shanghai breakfast rice rolls that would make a great starting point.

If you’ve visited Europe, you’ll probably have already had the pleasure of eating a continental breakfast. Typically, these feature freshly-baked rolls – often switched for croissants in France – with jam, butter, cheese and a selection of cold meats. Bring all of these elements together with My Fussy Eater’s croque monsieur sandwich bake and a pot of strong coffee – the perfect start to the day.

Did you ever beg for chips for breakfast as a child, only to be told they’re not ‘breakfast food’? Well, they are in some parts of Africa, including Tanzania, where chips mayai is a popular breakfast dish. It’s basically an omelette, featuring chips, which we think sounds like an excellent hangover cure.

Make your own chips from potatoes rather than opening a packet and serve with some spinach or fried tomatoes to add some extra nutrients to the dish.

Fish and fruit together? It’s not something we’re especially used to in the UK, but we love pork with apple and gammon with pineapple, so trying ackee – which belongs to the same family as lychees – with saltfish is something that shouldn’t be knocked until it’s been tried. If you love kippers for breakfast, this should definitely be on your list of dishes to try.

Ackee and saltfish is a traditional breakfast dish in Jamaica and is typically served alongside fried dumplings. In fact, it’s often referred to as Jamaica’s national dish, so it’s certainly worth having a go at.

Greedy Girl Cooks has an easy-to-follow, super-tasty recipe for ackee and saltfish on her blog, complete with dumplings.

We’re finishing our brief trip around the world over in Scandinavia, with a breakfast food that you’ll already recognise – yoghurt. Filmjolk isn’t just any yoghurt, though. It’s also sometimes known as just ‘fil’ and is a thick type of fermented milk.

Don’t let the word fermented put you off – this basically just means it’s a gorgeously thick yoghurt that’s beautiful served with berries or granola (or both), or spooned onto a stack of freshly-made pancakes in the morning with honey.

If you’ve been feeling like you’re stuck in a breakfast rut, remember that there’s a whole world of exciting options aside from toast and cereal. Don’t be afraid of experimenting and trying something new!