Breakfast Around the World: 25 Countries, 25 Mornings
Nothing gives a country away like its breakfast. Some mornings start with chilli and tortillas, some with clear beef broth, some with chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread. Here are 25 traditional breakfasts from around the world, each with an authentic recipe.
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Chilaquiles
MexicoYesterday's tortillas fried and simmered in salsa, with egg and crema on top.
Say hello to Chilaquiles, one of Mexico's most beloved comfort dishes. Crisp tortilla pieces are simmered in a bright, tangy salsa and crowned with all manner of toppings, from tender chicken to creamy avocado and a perfectly …
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Phở
VietnamBeef broth and noodles at seven in the morning. In Vietnam this is entirely normal.
Pho is broth. Everything else in the bowl is assembly. A good pho broth takes six hours and a bad one takes twenty minutes, and you can taste the difference immediately, which is why the dish is hard to fake.
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Full English Breakfast
EnglandBacon, eggs, sausage, beans, tomato, mushrooms, black pudding. Order matters to some people.
There is nothing quite like a Full English Breakfast to set you up for the day. This generous plate brings together crispy bacon, juicy sausages, fried eggs, grilled tomatoes, baked beans and buttered toast in one gloriously …
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Shakshuka
IsraelEggs poached in spiced tomato and pepper, brought to the table in the pan.
Discover Shakshuka, the bright, spice-laden dish often crowned as Israel's national favourite. Eggs are gently poached in a rich sauce of tomatoes, peppers and warming spices, striking a perfect balance between sweet fruitiness …
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Tamagoyaki
JapanThin egg layers rolled in a rectangular pan, slightly sweet, sliced into a block.
Discover Tamagoyaki, the delicately sweet rolled omelette that sits at the very heart of the Japanese kitchen. Far more than a simple breakfast egg, this golden, layered roll is cooked patiently in a rectangular pan until it turns …
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Ful Medames
SudanBroad beans stewed overnight, dressed with oil, lemon and cumin. Older than the pyramids.
Ful Medames is fava beans cooked to a mash and dressed with olive oil, lemon and cumin. It is breakfast across Sudan and Egypt, sold from huge copper pots at street stalls from before dawn, and eaten with flatbread and the …
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Croissant
FranceWith a coffee, standing at the counter. France does not do a large breakfast.
Discover the croissant, the buttery, golden crescent that has become a symbol of France itself. With its crisp, flaky shell and tender, airy layers, this classic pastry brings a touch of Parisian elegance to any breakfast table. …
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Congee
ChinaRice cooked to porridge with pickles, century egg or fried dough sticks.
Few dishes are as comforting as Congee, the silky rice porridge that has been nourishing Chinese kitchens for centuries. Cooked slowly until the grains break down into a creamy, soothing bowl, it works just as well as a gentle …
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Gallo Pinto
Costa RicaRice and beans fried with Salsa Lizano, with egg and fried plantain.
Gallo Pinto is yesterday's rice and beans fried together this morning. The beans stain the rice, which is where the name comes from: spotted rooster. Costa Ricans eat it for breakfast with eggs, and the argument with Nicaragua …
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Menemen
TurkeyEggs scrambled soft into tomato and green pepper, eaten straight from the pan with bread.
Say hello to Menemen, the soft, savoury scramble that crowns the Turkish breakfast table. This comforting pan of eggs is folded through with juicy tomatoes and sweet green peppers, all glossed with good olive oil and a scatter of …
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Masala Dosa
IndiaFermented batter crisped on a griddle and folded around spiced potato, with sambar.
Discover Masala Dosa, one of India's most iconic dishes. This crisp, golden pancake is made from a fermented batter of rice and lentils and wrapped around a fragrant, lightly spiced potato filling. With its delicate crunch, …
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Mohinga
MyanmarCatfish and lemongrass broth with rice noodles. Myanmar's morning street food.
Mohinga is fish noodle soup and it is breakfast. Vendors sell it from the pavement from six in the morning, and the broth is thickened with toasted chickpea flour and, traditionally, the tender core of a banana stem.
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Perico con Arepa
VenezuelaScrambled eggs with tomato and onion, stuffed into a split maize cake.
Few breakfasts feel as unmistakably Venezuelan as Perico con Arepa, soft scrambled eggs folded through sweet tomato and onion, spooned into a warm maize flatbread straight from the pan. It is a homely, everyday sort of dish, the …
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Pão de Queijo
BrazilCassava and cheese rolls, hollow and chewy, eaten hot with coffee.
Meet Pão de Queijo, Brazil's very good little cheese balls. Made from tapioca flour rather than wheat, these golden bites are wonderfully chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside and naturally gluten-free. Best served warm and …
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Mandazi
KenyaLightly sweet fried dough with cardamom and coconut milk, dunked in chai.
Say hello to Mandazi, the golden, gently sweet fried dough that Kenyans reach for at breakfast, at tea time and whenever guests arrive unannounced. Crisp at the edges and pillowy within, each piece carries the warm perfume of …
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Syrniki
RussiaCurd cheese pancakes fried in butter, served with soured cream and jam.
Meet Syrniki, the golden little quark pancakes that have graced Russian breakfast tables for generations. Made from a simple mix of fresh curd cheese, egg and flour, they fry up soft and creamy on the inside with a lightly crisp, …
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Arepa de Choclo
ColombiaSweet corn cake off the griddle, folded around white cheese.
Say hello to the Arepa de Choclo, a sweet-corn favourite that turns up on breakfast tables and street stalls all across Colombia. These golden little cakes are made from tender kernels of sweet corn, blended into a soft batter and …
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Hagelslag
NetherlandsChocolate sprinkles on buttered bread. The Netherlands eats this as an adult and means it.
Say good morning the Dutch way with Hagelslag, the colourful chocolate sprinkles that have a permanent place on breakfast tables across the Netherlands. A slice of fresh bread, a thin layer of butter and a generous scattering of …
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Salteñas
BoliviaJuicy baked pastries of stew set with gelatine. Bolivians eat them mid-morning, standing up.
Salteñas are baked pastries filled with a stew that is liquid when you bite into it. That is the difficulty and the point. The filling is set with gelatine, chilled solid, sealed in dough, and melts back to soup in the oven. …
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Akara
NigeriaBlack-eyed pea fritters, whipped light and deep-fried, eaten with pap.
Meet Akara, one of Nigeria's most beloved snacks, crisp, golden bean cakes made from puréed black-eyed beans, onions and a handful of warming spices. Fried until deeply golden and very light inside, they turn up at breakfast …
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Hummus
JordanWarm, with olive oil, chickpeas and pickles. In Jordan hummus is breakfast, not a dip.
Discover Hummus, the smooth chickpea purée that has become a symbol of Jordanian hospitality. Silky tahini, bright lemon and a whisper of garlic come together into a dip that is as wholesome as it is versatile. Scoop it up with …
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Idli
IndiaSteamed cakes of fermented rice and lentil batter, soft and slightly sour, with chutney.
Discover Idli, one of South India's most cherished breakfast classics. These pillowy, steamed rice cakes are made from a gently fermented batter of rice and lentils, giving them their famously light, fluffy texture. Wholesome, …
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Avocado Toast
AustraliaSourdough, smashed avocado, lemon, chilli. Australian café culture exported it.
Say good morning the Australian way with Avocado Toast, the café-culture classic that has become shorthand for fresh, wholesome eating the world over. Creamy avocado piled onto crisp, golden toast and finished with a bright …
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Kaya Toast
SingaporeCharcoal-toasted bread with coconut jam and cold butter, with soft eggs and soy sauce.
Meet Kaya Toast, the humble breakfast that Singaporeans cannot start the day without. Crisp, golden bread is slathered with a fragrant coconut and pandan spread and a generous knob of butter, then served alongside a strong cup of …
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Ta'ameya
EgyptBroad bean fritters in pita with tahini and salad. Egypt's version of falafel.
Say hello to Taameya, Egypt's very good take on falafel. Unlike the chickpea version found elsewhere, this beloved street food is built around fava beans, giving it a wonderfully creamy centre beneath a deeply golden, crunchy …
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