Breakfast Around the World

 

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. Some people love it! They look forward to breaking their nighttime fast with a big meal. Others may like to eat something small. For those who skip breakfast all together – this article might not be for you!

There are many common foods shared between countries, although they may cooked differently. But whichever side people fall on -- a big breakfast or small one -- chances are it involves a cup of coffee or tea.

Americans are not very creative when it comes to breakfast. That is not to say we don’t many choices. We do. Common breakfast foods are bacon and eggs; bagel with cream cheese; pancakes or waffles with a side of sausage; sandwiches with egg, cheese and vegetables; oatmeal topped with dried fruit and nuts; or if we’re in a hurry, a bowl of cold cereal¹ with milk.

But some foods are simply not on the family breakfast menu -- things such as a whole fish, olives³, tofu, pasta or rice. In fact, if you serve salmon⁴ leftover⁵ from dinner for breakfast, you may hear people say, “That’s not a breakfast a food!"

So, what does breakfast look like around the world?

We looked at several websites to find out. On Buzzfeed.com, writer Julie Gerstein lists 28 breakfasts from around the world. And in the U.K., writer April Wallago did the same for The Independent.

A little of everything

In some areas of the world, breakfast includes just about anything. There is seemingly⁶ nothing that is not a breakfast food.

Turkey is one such place. People in Turkey seem to have endless choices for breakfast. A morning table may have eggs, bread with butter, honey or jam. Tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, Turkish sausage and tea are also common dishes in a Turkish breakfast.

On a German breakfast table you might see different kinds of bread, cold meats and cheeses with butter and jam on the side. You may also have some sliced vegetables or yogurt with fruit.

In Poland, a common breakfast food is an open-faced sandwich with meat and cheese. They also commonly have scrambled⁷ eggs, hot dogs (without the bun) and pickled vegetables. In spring and summer, they eat more fruit and vegetables for breakfast. They may also add donuts filled with jam to the breakfast table.

Several food websites also say that Koreans eat the same foods at breakfast that they may eat at lunch and dinner. So, you might have rice, kimchi (a traditional spicy⁸ pickled cabbage), soups with tofu and pickled vegetables. One website says Korean people like to add any leftovers⁹ from dinner the night before to breakfast – which is simply a great idea.

A typical breakfast in Japan may look the same. People may begin their day eating rice with pickled vegetables, fish, or egg and miso soup.

In a country as large as China, breakfast looks different from region to region.

People may eat a fried dough¹⁰ called you tiao with a cup of warm milk or rice soup with pickled vegetables. Or you may have a hot, roasted sweet potato. In some parts of China, breakfast could be noodles with vegetables and meat.

India is the same. Breakfast in each part of the country can look very different. One common meal might be pan-fried bread served with vegetables and a variety of chutneys or sauces.

A breakfast in Mexico could be as hearty¹¹ as beans, eggs, cheese and tomato on top of a toasted corn tortilla. Or it could be as simple as a churro -- a thin deep fried dough topped with sugar and cinnamon -- dipped in coffee or hot chocolate.

In the Andalusian part of Spain, you might simply have a crusty roll with olive² oil and salt on top to go with your coffee. In Cuba, grilled¹² buttered bread, or tostada, with coffee and milk is a common breakfast as well.

People in Mozambique may eat breakfast sandwiches made with eggs or fish. People there may also eat a type of sweet cake for breakfast.

The website Awesome¹³ Amsterdam lists some of the most famous breakfast foods of the Netherlands. Many people there like to eat bread with a fried egg, meat, cheese or thin slices of chocolate. A ham and cheese sandwich is also a common breakfast food. Or you may simply choose to have a piece of sweet spice cake to dunk in your coffee.

In Colombia, you may have a sweet corn cake. These are fried and topped with meat, eggs and cheese or just butter and jam.

People in Nigeria may eat a deep-fried dish made from black-eyed beans and spices. They often eat them with a bowl of a thick corn pudding.

In Russia, breakfast may include sausage, a bowl of porridge, dark rye bread or cakes filled with cheese and then fried in a pan.

Keeping it simple

People in some countries keep things very simple at breakfast -- just coffee or tea and some sort of bread.

In Italy, breakfast is often a cup of coffee with milk and a bread roll with jam. In Tanzania, a common breakfast is a cup of tea with bread or maybe a thin pancake.

People in Kenya may start with their day with fruit, a type of bread called flatbread and a cup of hot tea. And in France, strong coffee with a croissant, plain or filled with chocolate, is a common breakfast.

Several websites say that in Brazil breakfast is not a big deal. That honor goes to lunch. To start their day, Brazilians often drink coffee with milk -- even the children. With that, they may simply have a slice of toasted French bread. Papaya is a very common breakfast fruit. But any seasonal¹⁴ fruit is often a part of breakfast. Or instead, many Brazilians may simply eat a lightly-sweetened cake.

There are simply some breakfast dishes from around the world. We have only scratched the surface.

Or maybe we got some things wrong.

That's where you can help us out! In the Comments Section, tell us where you are from, describe a traditional breakfast from your culture and then share your favorite dish to eat for breakfast.

And if you would to see some of the items mentioned in this article, watch this video on YouTube.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

And I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

open-faced – adj. served without a covering layer (as of bread or pastry) : an open-faced sandwich

pickled – adj. preserved with salt water or vinegar

spicy – adj. of food : flavored with or containing strong spices and especially ones that cause a burning feeling in your mouth

chutney – n. a thick sauce of Indian origin that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices and is used as a condiment¹⁵

hearty – adj. large enough to satisfy hunger

tortilla – n. a thin round of unleavened cornmeal or wheat flour bread usually eaten hot with a topping or filling (as of ground meat or cheese)

crusty – adj. of food : having a thick or crisp crust

dunk – v. to dip (food) quickly into a liquid (such as coffee or milk) while eating

croissant – n. a type of roll that has a curved shape and that is usually eaten at breakfast

scratched the surface – phrase deal with, understand, or find out about only a small part of a subject or problem

1 cereal   

n.谷类，五谷，禾谷

参考例句：

• I have hot cereal every day for breakfast.我每天早餐吃热麦片粥。
• Soybeans are handled differently from cereal grains.大豆的加工处理与谷类的加工处理不同。

2 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

3 olives   

n.橄榄( olive的名词复数 )；橄榄树；橄榄色；油橄榄

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He sent her two pieces of olives in letter. 他在信中给她夹了两片橄榄树的叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

5 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

6 seemingly   

adv.从表面上看起来，似乎是

参考例句：

• Seemingly,we can do nothing to prevent this from happening.我们似乎没有什么办法阻止这件事发生。
• For several seemingly interminable seconds no one spoke.有几秒钟没有人讲话，这几秒钟似乎十分漫长。

7 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

9 leftovers   

n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
• She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。

10 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

11 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

12 grilled   

adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was grilled for two hours before the police let him go. 他被严厉盘查了两个小时后，警察才放他走。
• He was grilled until he confessed. 他被严加拷问，直到他承认为止。

13 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

14 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

15 condiment   

n.调味品

参考例句：

• It has long been a precious condiment.它一直都是一种珍贵的调味料。
• Fish sauce is a traditional fermented condiment in coastal areas.鱼露是沿海地区的传统发酵调味品。