surprising breakfast foods around the world

Genfo in Ethiopia

Since many Ethiopian restaurants only serve lunch and dinner, it can be tough to find genfo. However, if you love oatmeal, you’ll likely enjoy this dish. Genfo is an Amharic name for a thick porridge eaten for breakfast. This dish is made by adding dry-roasted barley flour to boiling water and stirring with a wooden spoon until it is thick. A well is created in the centre, sometimes using a coffee cup, and clarified butter and spices are poured inside, while yogurt is served on the side.

 

Pastéis de nata in Portugal

Looking to shake up your breakfast pastry choices? Pastéis de nata (or pastel de nata) won’t disappoint. It was invented around the 19th century in a pastry shop next to the Belém monastery in Lisbon—this space still holds the original recipe. Inside the flaky pastry is a custard-style filling including egg, sugar and a touch of lemon.

Gallo pinto in Costa Rica

Whether gallo pinto started in Costa Rica or Nicaragua is unknown, but the breakfast dish is one of the most beloved by Costa Rican locals and visitors alike. In fact, in 2009, Costa Rica created the world’s largest batch of gallo pinto: it had 1,198 kg (2,640 lbs.) of beans and 1,497 kg (3,300 lbs.) of rice. While beans and rice are the primary ingredients, spices and garnishes are often added to the mix.

Popara in Bulgaria

This oatmeal-like breakfast dish was born out of necessity—it was an affordable way to feed multiple people and use up day-old bread—but it has stuck around for years because of its delicious taste and filling quality. In addition to bread, it includes milk and cheese or clotted cream, butter and sugar.

Pho in Vietnam

Pho, the Vietnamese soup, has become a popular dish in North America, but it is rarely enjoyed at breakfast—although it is traditionally a breakfast meal. Originally, it was appreciated in the morning because afternoons get too hot for broth; vendors would start making broth before dawn, open shops before sunrise, and sell out by mid-morning. The chiles in the mix, alongside noodles and chicken or beef, also help boost the senses in the morning.

Cachapas in Venezuela

Those who enjoy Venezuelan arepas are sure to love the breakfast spin on the corn-based dish: cachapas. These corn pancakes are often filled with cheese, bringing together savoury and sweet flavours. This dish originated in the north-central Miranda region of Venezuela, where the indigenous people cultivated corn

Vegemite on toast in Australia

While you might spread peanut butter or jam on toast in Australia, the popular (yet polarizing) choice is Vegemite. Vegemite was created in 1922 when the Kraft Food Company hired a chemist to create a spread that was high in vitamin B. This salty spread is made with leftover brewers’ yeast extract, vegetable additives and spices.

Smörgås in Sweden

Some Swedish delicacies have made their way to North America, including meatballs, chocolate and pancakes, but the smörgås breakfast sandwich is not as well known. This open-face sandwich combines bread, butter and cheese with various toppings (cucumber, tomato, cold cuts and a fish paste). You won’t find this meal out and about; Swedes tend to eat their first meal at home, and going out for breakfast is uncommon.

Tacacho con cecina in Peru

This dish brings together plantains and pork to make a sweet and salty breakfast dish. It is said to have originated in the Amazon. Natives would boil or grill plantains, mash them with a wooden mortar, and then roll them in a ball with the chorizo.

Appam in South Asia

Pancake fans, this one is for you. Shaped like a bowl, this pancake-like breakfast food is made with rice flour and coconut milk. It was mentioned in poems in the second century, but its exact origins are unknown; some think it is Indian, some Sri Lankan. Still, it remains a popular breakfast dish in India to this day. It is often eaten with vegetable or meat curries or chutneys, and Jewish Indians often prepare this breakfast (minus the yeast) at Passover.

Youtiao in China

This breakfast dish is comparable to a doughnut or cruller. It originated during the Song dynasty (960-1279 CE) when a leader (and his wife) killed a beloved general. A cook then made fried breadsticks to resemble both executioners as a sign of protest. The name means “deep-fried ghosts” in translation. These decadent breadsticks are often served with soy milk and porridge.

Rice and banchan in Korea

Banchan dates all the way back to the mid-Three Kingdoms period, around 300 CE. At that time, meat-eating was discouraged, and vegetable dishes became a core part of Korean cooking. Banchan is the collective name for little side dishes served with rice in Korea. Sometimes these dishes consist of things made the night before, other times dishes such as potato stir-fry and green-onion eggs are prepared—typically a meat, vegetable and soup are present.

Miso soup, rice and grilled fish in Japan

This breakfast dish is a more nutritious option than a sugary bowl of cereal, but it will require a bit more preparation time. A traditional Japanese breakfast often includes steamed rice, miso soup, a protein such as grilled fish and various side dishes. While it might look like a lot to eat in the morning, people tend to take small portions not to be overly full.

Ackee and saltfish in Jamaica

The fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, apparently eats ackee and saltfish for breakfast, a ringing endorsement for it. The dish combines fruit from Ghana with fish from Northern Europe and Eastern Canada; while it isn’t known how the two ingredients came to be combined, the recipe has been popular for more than a century.

Shakshuka in Israel

Fans of tomato-based recipes will devour every last bite of shakshuka. It is said that it became popular in Israel when immigration from North African countries (where it is believed to originate) was at a peak. The combination of tomatoes, eggs and bread made for an affordable yet filling dish and it still does.

Halim in Iran

This stew-like dish can sometimes resemble oatmeal in appearance, and it does include cinnamon, but it also includes meat (often lamb). Variations of this dish are served throughout Asia, and in Turkey, but the Iranian recipe is made for breakfast in the winter. Since it takes awhile to prepare, many Iranians will pick it up from a restaurant at night and heat it up in the morning.

 Ful medames in Egypt

This breakfast dish, made with small fava beans, is also Egypt’s national dish. It is said to be as old as the Pharaohs—the beans have been found in pharaonic tombs. The beans are prepared like a stew and can be combined with tahini or, like in this Lebanese version, with cumin and garlic.

Changua in Colombia

If you’re loyal to having eggs in the morning, you might consider trying changua. This milky soup was traditionally enjoyed in the colder mountainous regions of Colombia, as it was filling for the stomach and warmed the body up, too. Today, it is commonly dished up by families on the weekend. Sometimes day-old bread is added since it softens in the soup, and green onions and parsley are typical toppings.

surprising breakfast foods around the world

What you eat for breakfast might vary slightly day-to-day, depending on what you’re in the mood for and the amount of time you have to prepare a meal. However, the options are pretty standard in the Western world: cereal, toast, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, pancakes. If you’re looking to broaden your breakfast horizons, consider biting into these amazing breakfast foods from around the world.