Around the World in 50 Breakfast Dishes

Breakfast is commonly said to be the most important meal of the day, but this expression can be applied to a wide variety of breakfast dishes depending on where you live. Kulick’s Pancake Recipes did some research and rounded up 50 breakfasts around the world, with each very different and distinct to its people and culture. The pancakes, eggs, and bacon that are found in a classic American breakfast are vastly different from the traditional breakfast dishes in other countries around the world. The classic breakfast dish for some countries looks more like something you might eat for a large dinner. In other countries, common breakfast dishes don’t differ that much from what they eat for lunch or dinner. Some countries were even found to have special breakfast dishes that are only eaten on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekend breakfasts are seen as a celebration in some cultures, and that’s one celebration we can certainly get behind!

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Around the World in 50 Breakfast Dishes

Which Countries Eat Pancakes for Breakfast?

We obviously enjoy a good pancake breakfast, so it was interesting to see all of the different types of pancakes that are served for breakfast around the world. While Americans are used to adding sweet toppings to our pancakes, like syrup, fruit, or powdered sugar, some places in the world enjoy a more savory pancake. Not including the classic American breakfast of homemade pancakes, eggs, and bacon, seven of the international breakfast dishes on our list had their own variation of a pancake:

  • Korea: Banchan consists of a variety of small dishes, including a Korean pancake called jeon.
  • Morocco: Baghrir is a thin, spongy pancake that develops many tiny holes when cooked, earning it the nickname “thousand-hole pancakes.”
  • Poland: Jajecznica is a traditional dish that includes potato pancakes on the side.
  • Somalia: Canjeero is a flat bread that is similar to a large pancake but with a spongy texture.
  • Sweden: Pannkakor, also known as Swedish pancakes, are thin and served with a fruit filling.
  • Ukraine: Syrniki is a ricotta pancake made from a cheese called tvorog. They are served topped with sweet fruit or savory sour cream.
  • Venezuela: Arepas are small cornmeal pancakes that are served stuffed with meat, cheese, and vegetables.

50 Breakfast Dishes From Around the World

 

Country Traditional breakfast dish Description
Argentina Medialunas This pastry is shaped similarly to a croissant, but it’s made from brioche, smaller, and sweeter in taste. The name translates to “half-moons.”
Australia Vegemite This dark spread is made from brewer’s yeast extract and is commonly spread on toast. It has a strong taste that people seem to either love or hate.
Bangladesh Chapatis This popular flatbread is made from wheat flour and cooked on a flat skillet called a tava. It is commonly paired with potato curry or scrambled eggs.
Bulgaria Banitsa This pastry is made from whisked eggs and cheese layered between sheets of filo dough and baked. It can be served hot or cold and is often served with plain yogurt.
Cambodia Kuyteav This popular rice noodle soup is made from pork broth, and toppings can include garlic, herbs, shallots, pork or fish, chili paste, and a piece of lime.
China Youtiao These deep-fried sticks are also called “Chinese doughnuts,” although they are made from a savory rather than sweet dough. They are commonly served with rice porridge or warm soy milk.
Colombia Changua This hearty milk soup is made from cracking eggs into a boiling mixture of milk and water until cooked. It’s garnished with scallions, cilantro, and a piece of stale bread called calado. This soup is also known as a hangover cure.
Costa Rica Gallo Pinto This dish includes rice and beans that are cooked separately and then stir-fried together. It is served with eggs, avocado, cheese, or tortillas and topped with salsa and sour cream.
Egypt Ful Medames This breakfast is made from stewed fava beans and chickpeas that are seasoned with cumin, parsley, garlic, onion, lemon, and chili. It is traditionally served out of a metal container with hard-boiled eggs, veggies, and pita on the side.
England Full English Breakfast This world-famous traditional English dish often consists of fried eggs, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, back bacon, sausage, black pudding, baked beans, and fried bread.
Ethiopia Genfo This thick porridge is shaped with a well in the middle for a dipping sauce that’s made from a mixture of niter kibbeh and berbere. Dollops of yogurt are commonly added around the outside.
Finland Puuro This Finnish porridge is made from oats and is served with milk, berries, butter, and sugar.
France Pastries A French breakfast is generally light and consists of some sort of bread, pastry, or croissant with butter.
Germany Frühstuck This hearty breakfast includes a variety of cold cuts, sausages, soft-boiled eggs, fresh bread, cheeses, jam, and honey.
Ghana Waakye This dish is made from rice and either black-eyed peas or cowpeas cooked together with red dried sorghum leaves, which give the dish its red appearance. It is commonly wrapped in a banana leaf and served with Wele stew, boiled eggs, vegetables, or spaghetti.
Greece Spanakopita This savory pie is made up of layers of phyllo, spinach, feta or ricotta, onions, and eggs.
Hungary Pogácsa This focaccia-like bread can be stuffed with ground beef, potatoes, or cheese and sprinkled with grains and herbs before being baked.
Iceland Hafragrautur This thick oatmeal is commonly topped with brown sugar, nuts, berries, or skyr, which is a thick yogurt-like cheese that is beloved by the people of Iceland.
India (North) Chana Poori This dish includes poori, which are deep-fried flatbreads that puff up to create a hollow center. They are combined with chana masala, a chickpea and tomato curry.
India (South) Idlis These small, round cakes are made from fermented rice and lentils that are steamed to form a fluffy cake. To amp up their subtle flavor, they are served with chutney and a cup of chai.
Iran Kaleh Pâcheh This soup’s name translates to “head and hoof stew,” and it’s made from those parts of a lamb and everything in between. The lamb’s head, hooves, eyes, tongue, etc., are boiled in water with onions and lots of garlic.
Israel Shakshouka This dish includes eggs poached in a sauce made from tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onions, and garlic. It is commonly seasoned with cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Italy Sfogliatelle This breakfast pastry has multiple thin and flaky layers resembling stacked leaves and usually has a sweet ricotta cheese filling.
Jamaica Ackee and Saltfish The sweet fruit ackee is sauteed with salt cod, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chilies for a salty, sweet, and spicy flavor. The ackee fruit looks like scrambled eggs when it is cooked.
Japan Tamagoyaki This sweet Japanese omelet is made by rolling several layers of fried egg together and gets its shape from being cooked in a rectangular pan called a tamagoyakiki. It is served alongside small plates of fish, vegetables, and rice.
Korea Banchan This assortment of small side dishes is paired with rice and shared with everyone at the table. Some of the sides include a pancake-like dish called jeon, a rolled omelet known as gyeran-mari, wild greens called namul, and kimchi.
Malaysia Nasi Lemak This simple yet hearty rice dish is cooked in coconut milk and panden leaf and is often served with boiled eggs, peanuts, sambal, cucumber, and deep-fried anchovies. It is the national dish of Malaysia.
Mexico Chilaquiles This dish is made from lightly fried corn tortilla pieces that are simmered in red or green salsa or mole. It comes with a wide variety of toppings, like refried beans, onions, cilantro, shredded meat, fried egg, avocado, or queso fresco.
Morocco Baghrir These thin and spongy pancakes are often made with semolina and topped with butter and honey. When cooked, they develop many tiny holes, which earned them the name “thousand-hole pancakes.”
Myanmar Mohinga This rice noodle and fish soup is generally made from catfish and is topped with onions, lime, fish sauce, coriander, dried chilies, and a boiled egg or fish cake. It is considered to be the national dish of Myanmar.
Netherlands Hagelslag on Bread The bread is smeared with butter and topped with candy sprinkles called hagelslag, which come in chocolate, vanilla, and fruit flavors.
Nigeria Ogi and Akara Akara is known as “beans cake” and is made from peeled beans formed into balls or discs and deep-fried. This is paired with ogi, a fermented corn pudding. This dish is commonly served on Saturdays.
Pakistan Parathas This flatbread is stuffed with different types of vegetables, most commonly spiced potatoes, but they can also be stuffed with lentils, leaf vegetables, cauliflower, radishes, or paneer.
Peru Tacacho con Cecina This popular breakfast dish includes plantain fritters that are roasted and served with pieces of pork on the side.
Philippines Tapsilog This hearty dish is made from thin slices of meat called tapa, garlic fried rice known as sinangag, and itlog, which are eggs. It’s served with fruit, bread rolls, and sausages known as longganisa.
Poland Jajecznica This traditional dish includes scrambled eggs topped with kielbasa, served with potato pancakes on the side.
Portugal Pasteis de Nata These egg custard tarts have a flaky pastry shell filled with a creamy custard. These tarts pair perfectly with the milky coffee drinks that are popular in Portugal.
Russia Russian Black Bread This dark rye bread gets its bold flavor from a variety of ingredients, like brown sugar, molasses, fennel, caraway seeds, coffee, wheat bran, and cocoa powder. It is smeared with butter or even caviar.
Scotland Haggis This savory pudding is made from sheep heart, liver, and lungs and minced with onions, spices, and oatmeal. It is traditionally cooked inside the casing of a sheep’s stomach and served in slices. Haggis is the national dish of Scotland.
Singapore Kaya Toast This sweet sandwich is made from toasted white bread spread with butter and a coconut jam called kaya. It’s commonly served with soft-boiled eggs on the side.
Somalia Canjeero This flatbread is made from fermented sourdough and looks similar to a large pancake but has a spongy texture. It’s served for breakfast drizzled with ghee or butter and sugar.
Spain Churros and Chocolate This simple breakfast consists of long strips of deep-fried choux pastry called churros that are lightly dusted with sugar. They are dipped in a thick, hot chocolate sauce.
Sweden Pannkakor This dish is often referred to as Swedish pancakes abroad, although they are thin like crepes and served with a fruit filling.
Switzerland Zopf A braided Swiss bread made with both milk and butter, giving it a soft texture. It is served with butter and jam or honey and is traditionally eaten on Sundays during brunch.
Taiwan Jianbing Similar to a crepe, this common street food is made from egg and wheat flour and is filled with ingredients like ham, pork, eggs, peanuts, scallions, soybeans, as well as hoisin and chili sauce.
Tunisia Lablabi This soup is a breakfast staple and is made with chickpeas, onion, garlic, cumin, and a spicy chili paste called harissa. It is served with poached eggs and can be topped with olives, capers, cumin, and herbs.
Turkey Menemen This traditional dish is made of scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes, green peppers, and spices, which are cooked together in a lot of olive oil. Toast is usually served on the side.
Ukraine Syrniki These pancakes are made from tvorog, a farmer’s cheese similar to ricotta. They are slightly sweet and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. They can be topped with sweet ingredients like fruit and powdered sugar or made savory with sour cream.
United States Pancakes, Eggs, and Bacon The traditional American breakfast generally includes eggs cooked in a variety of ways, crispy bacon or sausage on the side, and fluffy buttermilk pancakes served with butter and maple syrup.
Venezuela Arepas These flat corn cakes can be either baked or fried, then are split open and stuffed with a variety of meats, eggs, cheese, and/or vegetables.

 

Did these breakfast images make you hungry but you’re not sure what to eat for breakfast? You can’t go wrong with a warm, fluffy stack of buttermilk pancakes! Check out our easy pancake recipes next time you’re wondering what to have for breakfast.

 

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This page was last updated by Bruce Kulick and Lisa Lane Kulick