Whether you live in Bangkok, Paris or Peru, breakfast is a very important meal.
And whilst cereal is loved all over the world, many countries have their own
unique breakfast traditions. We’ve picked a few from around the globe. Now
all you have to do is book a round-the-world trip to try them all…
We start our breakfast around the world trip with Japan. Rice is nice … and the Japanese love it with a soybean puree known as natto. A power-packed day in Japan starts with steamed rice and a side of vegetables. And if you think that’s a bit lacklustre, you’ll be surprised. There are quite a few components to the Japanese breakfast, including pickles, fish and eggs. So, take your pick and give the traditional Japanese morning meal a go.
Gruel, a thin porridge made with cereal and water or milk, is one of the most ancient breakfasts, which is good news for its devoted fans. Reinvented again and again throughout the ages, today it has become a delicious breakfast food eaten around the world. The Chinese version is called Congee, a rice gruel topped with pickled tofu, strings of dried meat or egg.
Yum Yum! The Turks know a thing or two about satisfying the morning tummy rumbles - their idea of breakfast sounds like a complete meal. They love their ‘Kaymak’; honey and clotted cream on toasted bread and fried eggs with a delicious spicy sausage called sucuk. Add a pot of Turkish tea for an authentic experience.
One of the best loved breakfasts around the world is an Italian concoction. Even if you can’t make it to Rome, you can usually get a similar experience at the local Italian coffee shop. The Italians do breakfast on the go – hot, fast and sugary - “cappuccino e cornetto” is basically just a cup of coffee and a sweet croissant. Need we say more?
Not for the faint-hearted, ‘Fracturas’ is a sugar-rush of a breakfast consisting of buttery, flaky pastries topped with sweetened milk, which has been boiled and reduced to a thick, sticky sauce called Dulce de Leche. You won’t crave a sweat treat for a while.
Peruvians love raw fish in the mornings, but it’s not the famous Sushi that turns up in Peruvian households at breakfast time. They tuck into ‘Ceviche’ – a dish so beloved that it was even declared part of Peru’s national heritage. And they’ve got plenty of reasons to be proud of their original twist on breakfast. They’ve successfully made Ceviche into a delicious light meal using only a few simple ingredients: raw fish cured in citrus juices, with chillies. The idea is so brilliant that it’s quickly becoming a favourite breakfast around the world.
The Bolivian breakfast might sound more like a dinnertime dish - Salteña is a morning meal of stewed meat and vegetables in a thick pastry case with a hot sauce. The recipe is being handed down from generation to generation in Bolivia and it requires a bit of practice before getting it right, but it’s so worth it. Bolivians also like to add a bit of salsa into the mix for that extra flavour.
Cock-a-doodle-do! There’s nothing like a bit of ‘spotted rooster’ to wake you up in the morning. Made up of black beans, rice, salsa and avocado, this delicious mixture is eaten with a corn tortilla and fried plantain.
We’re thinking this heavenly combo should become a famous breakfast around the world, not just in Costa Rica.
Although what people eat for breakfast around the world is quite a patchwork, we’re all aiming to get as much nutrients as possible in the small window of time we call breakfast. If you want to find out how to add a well-balanced breakfast to the morning routine, read our handy guide.
