7 Surprising Breakfasts from Around the World

You might think of eggs, French toast, or waffles for breakfast, depending on where you come from. But people eat all kinds of things for their morning meal, from soups and fish to spicy crepes. Get globally inspired with these 7 surprising breakfasts from around the world.

Kaasbroodje From The Netherlands

The Dutch have a reputation for their amazing cheeses, so it comes as no surprise that they’d start the day with a “cheese sandwich”. These cheese rolls served warm are flakey on the outside with warm, gooey cheese filling. Try them for yourself, with this kaasbroodjes recipe from Laura’s Bakery.

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Masala Dosa From India

When it comes to breakfast, Indians like to spice things up in the morning with savory, crispy crepes served with a potato filling full of flavor. This easy-to-follow recipe from the NY Times includes pancakes made from a lentil and rice batter that is filled with potatoes, spiced with hot peppers, cumin, and turmeric.

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Congee from China

You might not think of rice as a breakfast food, but in China they eat it any time of day! Congee consists of rice porridge in a pudding-like consistency. The savory dish has an umami flavor, and you can always customize your congee with eggs, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, green onions, or bacon, according to this recipe from Food and Wine Magazine

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Shakshuka From the Middle East

Start your day with a hearty, healthy meal with this breakfast from the Middle East. Traditional shakshuka contains simmered tomatoes, onions, and peppers with spices. Then poach your eggs in the sauce. Check out this The Food Network recipe from famed Zahav chef Mike Solomonov.

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Grilled Fish and Miso Soup From Japan

This traditional Japanese breakfast will fill you up with lots of healthy dishes. This recipe from Epicurious, which combines rice, grilled fish, miso soup, pickles, and a Japanese-style omelet. Each component comes served hot in small bowls. And, according to Japanese etiquette, you should place the bowl of rice on your left and the bowl of miso soup on your right. The fish comes on a separate plate, the pickles in a small bowl, and the omelet on another small plate. Now chomp it all down with chopsticks!

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Marmite From England

Anyone from the United Kingdom will recognize that iconic jar of Marmite. But if you don’t hail from England, that strange and smelly brown paste might take some getting used to. Marmite is a yeast extract mixed with vegetable and spice extracts. Start your day like a Brit, with this boiled eggs and Marmite soldiers recipe from Food, which combines two boiled eggs served with sliced toast and Marmite. 

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Calentado From Colombia

Colombians love their beans and rice, and they traditionally eat it for dinner family-style. What do they do with their leftovers? They reheat the beans and rice with egg, arepa, chorizo, chicharrón, or grilled beef. Together, you get “calentado”, meaning heated in Spanish, like this recipe from Hispanic Kitchen.