Breakfast of Champions Breakfast Ideas
Breakfast is the first meal of the day eaten after waking up, usually in the morning. It is also considered, by many accounts, to be the most important meal of the day. Though in recent years there’s been more debate about how essential this meal is and the health effect breakfast has on the human body. Chances are that you would find a “typical”, or “traditional”, breakfast menus exist in most places, but they vary widely from one country to another, even from one region to another. You will find that globally there is a wide range of ingredients associated with breakfast.
The US has championed cereal as its most recognized breakfast item. The first cold cereal was invented in the United States in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson. In the late 1800’s John Harvey Kellogg and his brother William K. Kellogg invented cornflakes, while Charles W. Post invented grape nuts cereal before General Mills came on the scene in the mid-1920’s. If you go to any market in the US, you will find that the cereal isle is one of the largest. The US also dominated the breakfast menu with its traditional eggs, bacon, and hash brown, as well as pancakes and waffles.
Other countries also have very distinct breakfast items. In India, you would find may items for breakfast which are normally split between Northern and Southern Indian cuisine. In China, basic choices include sweet or salty pancakes, soup, deep-fried doughnuts (youtiao), buns (mantou), porridge (congee), as well as fried or soup-based noodles. In France, a typical breakfast consists of café au lait, or hot chocolate, sometimes accompanied by a glass of orange or grapefruit juice. The main food consists of sweet products such as biscottes (in English “rusks”), tartines, (slices of baguette or other breads spread with butter, jam, or chocolate paste), sometimes dunked in the hot drink. Brioches and other pastries such as croissants, pains au chocolat and pains aux raisins are also traditional. In Russia, breakfast are concentrated on kashas, or porridges made of buckwheat and oat, as well as semolina, usually cooked using water or milk, as well as consumed with or without milk. Breakfast foods also include pancakes such as oladushki which are made of flour, kefir, and yeast. Blini, or crepes, are also popular for breakfast and are also made with flour, but without yeast. Sirniki, is a cheese form of pancake made of tvorog (quark cheese), which can be eaten separately with honey for breakfast. Russians also like to have eggs with sausages. Also, a popular dish is buterbrod, open sandwiches with cold cuts and cheeses.
Those who travel often would recognize the “continental breakfast” which is a sort of lighter European style of breakfast which usually includes coffee, jam, fruit, and baked goods such as bread and pastries. Breakfast in Brazil tends to be lighter as Brazilians prefer lunch. Breakfast in Brazil consists of a combination of bread, butter, jam, fruits, cheese, ham, eggs, cereal, pão de queijo (baked cheese roll or cheese bun), cakes, yogurt, coffee, milk, and fruit juice.
One of the most unique gourmet experiences for breakfast is the Israeli breakfast. An Israeli breakfast is a mix of culinary influences from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, North African cuisine, and Middle Eastern cuisine. It usually consists of a range of cheeses along with sliced vegetables, scrambled eggs and bread, served with spreads like butter, jam, or honey. The most commonly used vegetables are cucumbers, tomatoes, and red bell peppers. Cheeses include, at the very least, cottage cheese, quark or fromage blanc, and a local variety of Edam (“yellow cheese”), and often Tzfatit and labneh too. Side dishes including pickled olives and herring may also be served. Typical Middle Eastern mezze such as Israeli salad, hummus, tehina and baba ghanoush, as well as Shakshouka and a variety of salads, including tuna salad, egg salad, avocado salad, pepper salad, and others may be served. The meal is most often accompanied by coffee, tea and orange juice.
Whatever tantalizes your taste buds for breakfast is what matters. There are many choices, especially in Western markets where you would find a variety of items that are, more often than not, organic with little to no preservatives, and are more geared toward healthier and cleaner diet.
Bon Appetit! Enjoy your breakfast.
