What Traditional Breakfasts Look Like Around the World

Many people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there’s a good reason for that: it provides the necessary nutrients to start your day. However, depending on where you are in the world, you will see this morning meal prepared differently.

5-Minute Crafts has created this guide to show you what breakfast looks like in 10 different countries.

1. Brazil

Although it’s very common for people to have crusty bread and a cup of black coffee or latte to start out the day, a typical breakfast in Brazil can include other foods that also represent a morning meal in this country. These foods include butter, cheese, ham, pão de queijo or cheese bread, cuscuz (a dish made out of cornmeal), scrambled eggs, and fresh fruits, like papaya and banana.

2. Colombia

It’s very common for people in Colombia to have soup or “caldos” for breakfast. However, arepas, a type of bread made of cornmeal, are also a regular on the menu. These can be enjoyed with shredded beef, cheese, eggs, butter, jam, or meat.

At the same time, another popular dish in a Colombian morning meal is changua, a soup consisting of cheese, milk, and eggs.

3. Germany

Germans are quite fond of baked goods and this is no exception at breakfast, which consists of bread, brötchen or bread rolls topped with sweet jams, butter, and honey. At the same time, this meal includes cheese, thinly sliced meats, and leberwurst, which is a sausage made of liver. All these delicacies are accompanied by coffee, tea, juice, boiled eggs, and yogurt decorated with muesli and fruit.

💡 A German breakfast is considered a variation of the popular “continental breakfast.” However, it has some German traditional foods that can change, depending on the region.

4. India

Breakfast in India can depend a lot on the region. However, a South Indian breakfast usually includes idlis, a soft cake made from steamed fermented rice and lentils, or dosas, which are very similar to pancakes or crepes but prepared with fermented batter often with black gram (a type of black bean) or rice. The latter are commonly accompanied by chutney and sambar, a type of vegetable stew. Other common foods are upma, a typical dish made of semolina, and poha, which is basically flattened rice.

On the other hand, a North Indian breakfast can consist of aloo-puri, a type of deep-fried bread, and parathas, a kind of flatbread.

5. Italy

A traditional Italian breakfast, or “la colazione,” mainly consists of carbs and sweets. Although there could be some variations, people at home usually start their day with cookies, milk or yogurt, corn flakes, muesli, coffee, bread, chocolate spread, jam, and homemade cakes.

Although this may sound like a lot of food, morning meals for people in Italy are actually very light, allowing for more heavy meals at lunch and dinner.

6. Jamaica

Breakfast is very important in Jamaica and, for most people, it’s crucial to get a filling meal in the morning before starting their day. There are several popular breakfast options, which can include Johnnycake with salt mackerel, cornmeal porridge, fried dumplings, steamed cabbage with saltfish, and hot chocolate tea, among other preparations.

Another traditional choice is ackee and saltfish. Ackee is basically a fruit that resembles scrambled eggs when it’s cooked, and it’s often accompanied by onions, tomatoes, salted cod, fried plantains, rice, and spices.

7. Japan

A traditional Japanese breakfast consists of a set meal in which miso soup and rice are the basic ingredients, accompanied by ohitashi (vegetables soaked in dashi stock). At the same time, pickles, natto (fermented whole soybeans), and grilled fish are usually served as side dishes, making this traditional breakfast a nutritious and well-balanced meal.

8. Philippines

Breakfasts in the Philippines are often the largest meal of the day and usually include fruit, pandesal or bread rolls, rice dishes such as tapsilog, which is rice accompanied by eggs and dried meat, or small sausages fried with eggs, meats, beans, and garlic.

9. Turkey

For people in Turkey, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Due to this, a traditional Turkish breakfast, or “kahvalti” comes with a variety of different small-sized dishes, which include black and green olives, cured meats, cucumbers, eggs, fresh cheeses, honey, pastries, sauces, dips, fresh tomatoes, bread, sweet butter, jams, and fruit preserves. At the same time, all these treats are accompanied by black tea.

Although there may be some regional variations of a traditional Turkish breakfast, all of them have 5 things in common: spreads, bread, eggs, cheese, and black tea.

10. United States

Last but not least, there is the American breakfast, which often includes hash browns, eggs, crispy bacon, and toast. All of these foods can come along with thick pancakes and maple syrup. Although these dishes may be combined in different ways, they’re usually accompanied by a glass of orange juice.