ADSactly Food - Let's Talk About Breakfast
Breakfast. One of the most undervalued meals of the day, but one of my absolute favourites! Today we will look at breakfasts around the world, and the history of breakfast.
Wikipedia says:
The Old English word for dinner, disner, means to break a fast, and was the first meal eaten in the day until its meaning shifted in the mid-13th century. It was not until the 15th century that “breakfast” came into use in written English to describe a morning meal, which literally means to break the fasting period of the prior night; in Old English the term was morgenmete meaning "morning meal."
Throughout ancient times, grains and cereal formed an important part of breakfast, and in Greece and Rome, bread, cheese and wine were consumed.
In Medieval times, breakfast was touted as gluttonous by the Catholic Church, and only working men (the poor), children, women and the sickly ate breakfast. Of course, being the middle ages, there were a few exceptions to this rule, for example aristocratic travellers were excluded while on their journeys.
This was soon overcome by a simple breakfast of bread and cheese from around the 1400's,and from the 1500's that magical essence of coffee was added to the equation
Now, let's take a trip around the world, and explore what different cultures around the world eat for breakfast.
ASIA
China has some of the most interesting breakfasts I have ever seen. Completely different from Western culture, and I want to try them all!
Steamed buns, called baozi, and a thin rice pudding, congee are the main breakfasts eaten, but depending on where you are in the country, noodles, soups and teas are also eaten.
While most baozi look like this, some are also made in different colours and characters, like these adorable panda bear baozi:
In Malaysia noodle dishes and steamed buns are also popular, but a common dish due to their mixed heritage of Indian, Chinese and Malay culture, is the Indian Roti Canai, a combination of curries with a fluffy roti.
In Japan, breakfast is a combination of what is, for us Westerners, a strange combination. Breakfast in Japan is usually a tray of delicious miso soup, steamed rice, some sort of fatty rich fish, like salmon or tuna, and other Japanese specialities like nori, tsukemono (a sort of Japanese pickle), and other small plates.
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AFRICA
Breakfast throughout Northern Africa, is many variations of flatbread. In Egypt, they serve their bread with tahini, and in Israel, baba ganoush.
In Morocco, harcha, a flatbread made from Semolina flour is very popular, served usually with onion, olives, and Za'atar.
My absolute favourite North African breakfast is the aromatic Shakshuka, which is baked eggs in a tomatoey sauce, has its roots in Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt.
EUROPE
Europe is a very diverse country, with many cultures and influences. I thought it would be fun to share some of the lesser known cultures and what they eat for breakfast
In Russia they have wonderful variations of pancakes, which they call blinis. They are served sweet or savoury, with combinations such as sour cream and caramelised fruit, and caviar with sour cream. Sounds nice! Other forms of breakfast consist of Buterbrody (sandwiches with butter and sausages), Kashas, a type of buckwheat cereal and Tvorog, a dairy based breakfast similar to cottage cheese, served with fruit.
A little further South, in Spain, breakfast is eaten pretty late, around 10 or 11 am. The Spaniards have some of the most delicious looking breakfasts I have ever seen, okay, okay, I'll admit, I was romanced by the churros con chocolat, which is literally fried dough with a sugar coating, dipped in chocolate. 😍Drools.
Also popular in Spain are the tortillas, which are a type of potato omelette. You can have any kind of filling with your tortilla, ham, cheese, onions etc.
THE AMERICAS
In Mexico Huevos Rancheros are a popular dish, with hot tortillas topped with a spicy tomato sauce, and of course, eggs. Usually served with avocado, this has become a staple in American homes too.
Another popular Mexican breakfast is Chilaquiles, which is a fried corn tortilla, topped with a spicy sauce, cheese and sour cream. Often served with beans, eggs or some sort of meat, I think I want to make this on the weekend!
North America. How can we even talk about breakfast, without mentioning the great U.S. of A? A smorgasbord of cultures, the States have so much on offer when it comes to breaking the fast. When I think American breakfast, I instantly think PANCAKES!
ENGLAND
For me, as a South African, our history and culture is strongly tied to Great Britain. Baked beans and eggs, a proper English Breakfast, the Brits are known for their grease laden fry ups. I absolutely love a spicy bowl of beans with softly boiled eggs and some crunchy toast. MMmmm
I hope you enjoyed our trip around the world, sampling all the magical breakfasts. Look out for the next post in this series, where I will explore LUNCH!
Let me know in the comments where you are from, and what you eat for breakfast in your country
It's almost breakfast time for me! These really look good. ALL of them. I particularly like the look of Shakshuka among those I haven't eaten.
Blinis are a family favorite, that come down from my Russian great grandparents. My mother would make them at least once a month and the entire family would just gorge themselves.
The Mexican breakfasts here (Sonoran Cuisine) almost always have steamed tortilla on the side and inevitably frijoles and queso. (Beans and cheese). I love them, but my all time favorite Mexican dish is Pozole. A pork soup with lots of condiments. Pozole is basically Menudo without the tripe.
And my very favorite breakfast of all is Bacon and Eggs over medium with hash brown potatoes and wheat toast. Probably the meal I have ordered the most times in my life by a wide margin.
What a great post! Thank you for it.
Oh, if that's what breakfast is like, I can't imagine lunch! I loved and was tempted by this post, @princesss. First I liked the walk you have taken through some countries and continents, because so I have known them more. I would never have imagined that in Greece and Rome breakfast was served with wine. Really? And that in Spain people ate sweet so early, I don't think I could do it! Then those images. Succulent and abundant. I could almost feel the aromas. All the breakfasts look delicious. In my country, Venezuela, a typical breakfast would be a stuffed arepa. This stuffing can be cheese, ham, meat, parakeets (scrambled egg seasoned with tomato, onion and chili). Normally breakfasts are not so abundant. It is accompanied with juice and good coffee and one or the other fruit. It runs daily, normally we don't give due importance to breakfast and we go out to the street with only a cup of coffee and a piece of bread (it also happens because of the shortage of some foods in Venezuela). Before, when I was a student, I could go out without breakfast! Right now I try to eat at the same time and not stop. @velimir and you agreed to whet our appetite today!! I want to see that lunch post! A hug for you, @princessmewmew
Interesting to note how the word break fast was coined and how it was used in the early years, i will talk about common breakfast used in West Africa and #Nigeria to be precise.
The common breakfast meal in every home here in Nigeria are listed below.
Pap (made from corn or millet which has been washed soaked in water for a number of days, then taken to be grinded and afterwards it is filtered and sieved. The sieved part can then be made with hot water. Here in Nigeria it is locally called "Akamu".
Bean ball ( made from a beans that has been washed and grinded, then mixed with ingredients like pepper, onions, salt at equal proportion and then fried for some minutes before it can be eaten. The local name here is "Akara".
Fried yam ( this is made from frying yam chips that is added with a little or pinch of salt.
There are other various breakfast that comes from each of the divers cultures in Nigeria, the listed above are the common ones know to every Nigerian.
Personally for me, breaskfast is something one shouldn't play with and should be something light and not too heavy.
An enlightenment post i love it.
Wow, who wrote this article, @princessmewmew you deserve some accolades for this.
I've actually been using this word breakfast without any knowledge about it and how it came to place but what more can I say, thanks you so much for impacting such knowledge into me this great day, I'm indeed grateful.
Well here in Nigeria, breakfast is a thing of choice, that's from my own view but for me, I normally take tea and bread for breakfast because it's quick, easy and yummy.
Breakfast is the most important meal because it provides the fuel necessary for our body to be activated with enough energy for proper functioning after hours of rest. I never stop having breakfast. It is a ritual to start the happy day. These different breakfasts look delicious and succulent. Thank you for this comprehensive and interesting article, @princessmewmew.
We all should eat breakfast in the morning. After eating at night, after sleeping, it becomes digested. So the stomach is empty in the morning, so if you do not eat from the morning after eating in the stomach there may be problems in the stomach
Thank you very much for your valuable post.
Very good delicious and amazing food . thanks for shareing
Nice dishes my favourite egg patatha . Taste biscute .
Got a good Shakshuka recipe?
It is necessary to eat fruits during morning meal. Fruits help to keep our body healthy. We also get the strength to work all day long.
Thank you for this post.