Our breakfast not only sets us up for the day, but it also defines who we are. The experts say we shouldn’t miss the first meal of the day. Whether it’s a plateful of pancakes, a mountain of cereal or a bowl of noodle soup – breakfast should never be skipped.
We must remember that not everyone eats the same type of breakfast as we do. Scramble eggs and toast are not your typical breakfast in all countries. Would you consider eating rice and beans every day for your breakfast? How about a some miso soup with fried rice? To us Westerners, these breakfast foods might not sound very appealing, but in a lot of cultures across the globe either does a fry up or a bowl of oatmeal.
Take Japan for a prime example. A traditional breakfast in Japan will consist of a bowl of steamed rice, some miso soup and maybe a raw egg. However if they are having a breakfast “on the go” then it’s usually cereal, toast, and eggs.
The Mexicans love spices and a fried egg with some salsa sauce(also known as Huevos rancheros) are the first thing they throw down their necks in the morning. You will also find tortillas stuffed with beans, eggs and sour cream eaten regularly at breakfast time there as well.
In Western countries like Ireland, England and France, breakfast usually consists of either a fry(sausage, bacon, eggs and pudding), cereal, toast and tea or coffee. The Holiday Inn Guildford hotel will provide you with the perfect opportunity to sample a traditional English breakfast.
However, in France they prefer their breakfast or “le petit dejeuner” to consist of a croissant along with tea or coffee. Italy also has the same taste as France when it comes to morning time eating.
In Scotland you will find that scones, porridge and oatcakes are the most popular breakfast staples found in the country.
India is a massive country and it can be difficult to give an exact example of a typical breakfast due to the wide diversity of cultures found there. Southern India has rice as a main ingredient, in which rice cakes are made.
Nigeria, like India is another massive country and hard to pin point a typical breakfast staple. Foods that are made out of cornmeal commonly cross all ethnic lines in Nigeria. Cornmeal is corn that is ground into a powder, before placing it with water in a watertight bag and allowing it to ferment for a couple of days.
In Thailand, breakfast foods don’t really differ to other foods eaten throughout the day. Rice, noodle soups, fried meats and omelettes are very common breakfast items here. A rice porridge called chok is usually reserved for breakfast.
It’s important to remember as we visit and travel to other countries around the world that we have to adapt to their breakfast menus, just as they have to adapt to ours when they come and visit. It all adds to immersing oneself in the experience of sampling new and exciting cultures.
