Breakfast by country facts for kids

Breakfast is the first meal you eat after waking up. What people eat for breakfast is different all over the world, with unique foods and traditions in each country.

Breakfast in Africa

Breakfast in Africa is super diverse! It changes a lot from one region to another.

Algeria's Morning Meals

Breakfast in Algeria has a lot of French influence. People usually have café au lait (coffee with milk) or espresso. They often eat it with a sweet pastry like a croissant or pain au chocolat. Sometimes, they have traditional bread with a date filling or jam.

Egypt's Delicious Start

Most Egyptians begin their day with a light breakfast. Ful medames, a dish made from cooked fava beans, is very common. It's seasoned with salt and cumin and often topped with oil, tahini, parsley, or lemon juice. People scoop it up with Eish Masri (a type of pita bread). They might also have taʿamiya (Egyptian falafel made from fava beans), homemade French fries, and pickled vegetables. Many kinds of cheese are popular, like Domyati or Roman cheese. Fried eggs with pastirma (a type of cured meat) are also a common breakfast.

Malawi's Breakfast Treats

For breakfast, some children in Malawi eat porridge or cornbread. They might also have savory fritters or boiled starchy vegetables like white potatoes, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin. A popular drink is sweet black tea.

Morocco's Morning Flavors

Many Moroccans eat bread for breakfast. They also enjoy harcha (semolina griddle cakes) or msemen (oiled pancakes). These are often served with olive oil, tea, and different kinds of Moroccan crepes.

Nigeria's Diverse Breakfasts

Nigeria has over 250 different ethnic groups, and each has its own special foods!

• For the Hausa people in northern Nigeria, a typical breakfast is kosai (fried bean cakes) or funkaso (fried wheat flour served with sugar). These can be eaten with koko (porridge and sugar).
• In the southwest, the Yoruba people often eat Ògì, a corn porridge usually served with evaporated milk. Ògì is often eaten with Acarajé (fried bean cakes) or Moi moi (steamed bean cakes).
• English tea or malta (a soft drink) are popular breakfast drinks.
• Another option in southwest Nigeria is Garri, made from the cassava root. It's soaked in water and sweetened with sugar, eaten like cereal.

Senegal's Sweet Start

Breakfast in Senegal usually includes café Touba (spiced coffee with lots of sugar) or kinkeliba tea. Small beignets (doughnuts) and fresh fruit like mangoes and bananas are common. People also eat baguette bread with spreads like Chocoleca (a peanut-based spread), butter, or mild cheese.

Somalia's Important Meal

Breakfast (quraac) is a very important meal for Somalis. They often start the day with some type of tea (shaah). The main dish is usually a pancake-like bread called canjeero or canjeelo. It can be eaten with a stew or soup (maraq). Lahoh, a pancake-like bread from Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen, is often eaten with honey and ghee (clarified butter) or muqmad (dried beef). It's usually enjoyed with a cup of tea.

Tunisia's Hearty Stew

In Tunisia, Lablabi is a common and popular breakfast stew.

Uganda's Morning Staples

In Uganda, different tribes have their own foods, but the most popular breakfast dishes are porridge and katogo.

• Porridge is made by mixing maize or millet flour with water and boiling it.
• Katogo is made from matoke (green bananas) cooked in the same pot with a sauce like beef, peanuts, beans, or greens. Katogo is served with tea or juice. Both dishes are popular all over Uganda.

Breakfast in Asia

Breakfasts are very different across Asia. In Arab countries, breakfast is often a quick meal with bread and dairy products, along with tea and sometimes jam. Flatbread with olive oil and za'tar (a spice mix) is also popular.

Bangladesh's Morning Curry

A typical Bangladeshi breakfast includes flatbreads like chapati, roti, or paratha, served with a curry. The curry might be vegetables, home-fried potatoes, or scrambled eggs. In villages, rice with curry is often preferred by day laborers. In cities, sliced bread with jam is chosen because it's quick. Tea is more popular than coffee and is a key part of most breakfasts. Toasted biscuits, bread, or puffed rice with tea are also very common.

China's Regional Breakfasts

Since mainland China has many different provinces, each with its own unique food, breakfast can vary a lot. Common choices include sweet or salty pancakes, soup, deep-fried bread sticks (youtiao), buns (mantou), porridge (congee), and fried or soup-based noodles. These are often served with tea or sweetened soybean milk. The toppings for porridge and soup bases change between regions.

Hong Kong's Mixed Breakfasts

Hong Kong was a British colony for a long time and is close to China's Canton region. Because of this, both English and traditional Cantonese breakfasts are popular. There's also a mix of styles found in Cha chaan teng restaurants. These breakfasts often include Hong Kong-style milk tea, pan-fried egg, bread, and Cantonese noodles or macaroni in soup. Traditional Cantonese breakfast might include dim sum, which are small dishes like steamed dumplings or sweet cakes, served with lots of good tea like Tieguanyin.

India's Many Breakfasts

India has at least 25 types of breakfasts, with over 100 different food items! Each state has its own specialties. Breakfasts are generally divided into North Indian and South Indian types.

• A typical South Indian breakfast includes idli, vada, or dosa with chutney and sambar. Other popular items are pongal and upma.
• In Kerala, special breakfast items include appam and puttu.
• In Bihar, people eat litti chokha and dahi chura.
• A typical North Indian breakfast might be a paratha or roti with vegetable curry, curd, and pickles. There are many kinds of parathas with different fillings like potato (aloo) or cottage cheese (paneer). Other popular items are poori bhaji and poha.
• In Bengal, roti and curry are common. They also have "Indian French toast" and chire bhaja (fried flaked rice).
• In Western India, a Gujarati home might serve dhoklas or theplas. In Maharashtra, common breakfasts include kande pohe and upma.
• Besides traditional breakfasts, factory-made bread with butter, jam, or as French Toast is eaten across India.

Indonesia's Morning Meals

Indonesia is a country with many different ethnic groups, so breakfast options vary a lot! In Indonesian, breakfast is called sarapan. Rice is a main food and is often served for breakfast.

• A typical Indonesian breakfast is bubur ayam, which is rice porridge with shredded chicken and toppings like scallions, fried shallots, and soy sauce.
• Nasi uduk is steamed rice cooked in coconut milk with spices, giving it a rich taste. Similar dishes are nasi gurih and nasi lemak.
• In eastern Indonesia, papeda (sago porridge) is a main breakfast food, often eaten with mackerel.
• Bread is also popular. Roti bakar is a sandwich toast with fillings. Kue (small cakes or snacks) like arem-arem or nagasari are eaten for a light breakfast.
• Other Indonesian breakfasts include bihun goreng (fried rice noodles), bubur kacang hijau (mung bean porridge), nasi goreng (fried rice), and soto (traditional soup).

Iran's Flatbread Breakfasts

Breakfast in Iran usually includes different kinds of flatbreads like barbari or lavash. These are eaten with white cheese, butter, jam, honey, or nuts and fresh fruits. Black tea or coffee are common drinks. Sometimes, breakfast is as simple as butter and jam on bread with tea. Traditional cooked dishes include haleem (wheat and chicken porridge) or adasi (green lentil soup), and fried or boiled eggs.

Israel's Diverse Breakfasts

The Israeli breakfast mixes foods from Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It usually has different cheeses, sliced vegetables, scrambled eggs, and bread. Spreads like butter, jam, or honey are also common. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers are often used. Cheeses include cottage cheese and a local type of Edam cheese. Side dishes like pickled olives and herring might be served. Middle Eastern foods like Israeli salad, hummus, and Shakshouka (eggs cooked in tomato sauce) are also popular. Coffee, tea, and orange juice are common drinks.

Japan's Morning Choices

Breakfast in modern Japanese homes comes in two main styles: Japanese and Western.

• Japanese-style breakfasts are eaten widely, but often only on weekends. It includes steamed white rice, a bowl of miso soup, and Japanese pickles. A raw egg and nori (dried seaweed) are often served. Grilled fish and Japanese green tea are also common.
• Western-style breakfasts in Japan are similar to those in the United States. Japanese children often eat corn flakes and drink milk or hot chocolate. Adults might have toast with butter or jam, eggs, and vegetables. They often drink coffee or orange juice.

Korea's Rice and Soup

Traditionally, Korean breakfasts mainly consist of rice and soup dishes. These can include small amounts of fish or beef, and some kind of broth or porridge. Like all Korean meals, breakfast is usually served with banchan, which are side dishes like kimchi and steamed eggs.

Malaysia and Singapore's Hawker Breakfasts

As countries with many different races, breakfast options vary greatly in both Malaysia and Singapore. People often eat at coffee shops and hawker centers. A traditional breakfast includes kaya toast (bread with coconut milk jam), half-boiled eggs, and Kopi (coffee). Locals often dip the toast into the eggs mixed with soya sauce and pepper. Other common dishes are fishball noodles, fried rice vermicelli, dim sum, Indian Roti Prata (fried dough pancakes), and appam (small savory pancakes).

Myanmar's Traditional Breakfasts

In Burma, the traditional breakfast is htamin jaw (fried rice with boiled peas) and yei nway jan (green tea), especially for people with less money. Glutinous rice is steamed and wrapped in banana leaf, often served with peas. Si damin is sticky rice cooked with turmeric and onions in peanut oil. Different fried snacks like baya jaw (bean fritters) are often served too. Naan (Indian-style flatbreads) with peas or buttered, served with Indian tea or coffee, is also popular. Mohinga, a very popular dish, is rice vermicelli in fish broth, served with crispy fried onions, chili, and lime.

Philippines' Silog Meals

A typical Filipino breakfast usually includes one or more fried eggs, tocino (cured meat), dried fish (tuyo), tapa (cured beef), and garlic fried rice. The word silog combines sinangag (garlic fried rice) and itlog (egg), forming the base for many breakfast combos like tapsilog (with tapa) or tocilog (with tocino). If a cooked breakfast isn't available, a bread called pandesal is eaten with cheese, peanut butter, or jam.

Taiwan's Hearty Mornings

Traditional Taiwanese breakfasts have many dishes, usually with lots of carbohydrates and proteins to start the day.

• In northern Taiwan, shaobing (baked flatbread) and youtiao (fried dough sticks) are common, often with hot soymilk or rice milk. Other popular dishes include scallion pancake and turnip cake.
• In the south, typical breakfast dishes include milkfish congee, eel noodles, and bubble tea.

Turkey's Traditional Breakfast

In Turkish Cuisine, a typical breakfast includes bread, cheese, butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, jam, honey, and kaymak (clotted cream). Sujuk (spicy Turkish sausage), pastırma (cured beef), börek (pastry), simit (sesame bread rings), and soups are also eaten. A common Turkish breakfast specialty is menemen, made with tomatoes, green peppers, onion, olive oil, and eggs. Various soups are also very common. The Turkish word for breakfast, kahvaltı, means "before coffee," but tea is now the everyday hot drink.

Pakistan's Morning Delights

In Pakistani Cuisine, breakfast often includes fried bread called Paratha and an Omelette with black milk tea. More special Pakistani breakfasts might have Nihari (a meat dish) served with kulcha (flatbread), Halwa poori (sweet semolina with fried bread), and Siri paya (trotters and head meat).

Breakfast in Europe

European breakfasts are generally lighter than in America or the UK, and are often cold. Bread with boiled eggs, cheese, and cold meat slices might be found. Pastries and jams are normal. Muesli, a German invention, is popular in many places. Fruit and fruit juices are common. Coffee or tea are almost always served.

In southeast Europe, like in Bulgaria or Croatia, breakfast usually has different kinds of savory or sweet pastries, with cheese, meat, or jam fillings. A typical breakfast is two slices of burek (a baked pastry) and a glass of yogurt. Open sandwiches with margarine, prosciutto, and yellow cheese are also common.

Continental Breakfast Style

The continental breakfast is a lighter European style, often found in hotels. It usually includes items that can be stored easily and served to many people. Typical items are coffee, tea, fruit juice, fruit, and baked goods like bread, muffins, and pastries, along with butter and jam. It might also have cold milk and breakfast cereal, which is popular with kids. Sometimes there's a toaster for making toast or a waffle iron for pancakes.

This term started in Britain in the mid-19th century. It refers to the lighter breakfasts found in places like France, different from the big "full English breakfast" with eggs, bacon, and sausages, or American breakfasts with eggs, meats, and pancakes. Continental breakfasts are also cheaper for hotels to serve because they need fewer staff.

Albania's Morning Meal

In Albania, breakfast often includes a scone, milk, tea, eggs, jam, or cheese. Meat is not usually eaten for breakfast. Seafood like canned sardines or tuna, served with mustard or mayonnaise, is sometimes used instead. Whole grain cereals and pastries are mostly eaten by children.

Croatia's Breakfast Choices

In Croatia, breakfast is a continental style with various pastries, some with fillings like jam, chocolate, cheese, or ham. Fermented milk products like yogurt are also popular. Cold meats like prosciutto, ham, and different cheeses are favored. Fried eggs or omelets and Vienna sausage with mayonnaise or ajvar (a pepper spread) are often eaten. In some parts, sir i vrhnje (cottage cheese with sour cream) is traditional. Coffee is much more popular than tea.

Denmark's Morning Spread

A typical breakfast in Denmark has slices of rye bread (rugbrød) with yellow cheese, a soft-boiled egg, or sometimes ham or liver spread. It might also be breakfast cereals like oatmeal or corn flakes with yogurt. White bread or rolls (rundstykker) are eaten with yellow cheese and different jams, along with coffee or tea. On weekends, people might have Danish pastries or chocolate.

Finland's Simple Breakfast

Breakfast usually includes coffee or tea with open sandwiches. The sandwich is often buttered with margarine and topped with hard cheese or cold meats. Finns usually don't put sweet things like jam or chocolate on their bread. Sour milk products like yogurt or viili are common, served with cereals like corn flakes or muesli, and sometimes with sugar, fruit, or jam. Porridge might also be served, usually with butter.

France's Sweet Start

In France, a typical breakfast at home is a cup of coffee, often café au lait, or hot chocolate. Sometimes, a glass of orange juice is included. The main food is sweet, like tartines (slices of baguette with butter, jam, or chocolate spread), which are sometimes dipped in the hot drink. Brioches and other pastries like croissants are traditional, but more for special weekend treats. Cereals, fruit compote, and yogurt are becoming more common. A traditional French breakfast doesn't have savory foods, but hotel buffets often include ham, cheese, and eggs. French children often eat crêpes or tartines and drink orange juice or hot chocolate.

Germany and Austria's Hearty Breakfasts

A typical German breakfast includes bread or rolls, butter, jam, ham, cheeses, cold meats, hard- or soft-boiled eggs, and coffee or tea. Cereals have become popular. Yogurt, granola, and fruit might also be served. A "second breakfast" is traditional in some parts of Germany, especially Bavaria.

Greece's Morning Habits

Home breakfasts in Greece include bread with butter, honey, or marmalade with coffee or milk. Breakfast cereals are also eaten. Children often eat Nutella-type cream on bread. Sometimes, people don't eat breakfast at all. Various savory pastries like Tyropita (cheese pie) or spanakopita (spinach pie) are also eaten, especially when eating out, usually with Greek coffee.

Hungary's Big Breakfasts

In Hungary, people usually have a large breakfast. It's typically an open sandwich with fresh bread or toast, butter, cheese, or different cream cheeses. Cold meats like ham, liver pâté, bacon, and different Hungarian sausages are common. Eggs (fried, scrambled, or boiled) and vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, and radishes might also be part of it. Sometimes, a simple breakfast is just milk, tea, or coffee with pastries, bread rolls, or cereal.

Iceland's Breakfast Evolution

In 1900, a typical Icelandic breakfast included oatmeal porridge, skyr (a dairy product), black pudding, rye bread, and coffee. Today, oatmeal porridge and orange juice are popular, but the most common breakfast is simply bread and coffee. In 1995, most people had soured milk or skyr with cereal. Cod liver oil is often taken with breakfast as a health supplement.

Italy's Sweet Mornings

The traditional breakfast in Italy is simple: caffè latte (hot coffee with milk) with bread or rolls, butter, and jam. This is called prima colazione. Fette biscottate (a hard bread like a cookie) and biscotti (cookies) are commonly eaten. Children often drink hot chocolate, plain milk, or hot milk with a little coffee. Cereals, yogurt, and fruit juices are also common. If breakfast is eaten at a coffee shop, it's usually a cappuccino and a cornetto (a pastry).

Latvia's Open Sandwiches

Typical Latvian breakfast usually has open sandwiches with toppings like vegetables, fish, eggs, or cheese. Like in Finland, they are often buttered with margarine. Curd mixed with vegetables and salt, and other sour milk products, are very popular. Light oat porridge is also often eaten. Latvians usually drink coffee for breakfast.

Malta's Mixed Breakfasts

On the island of Malta, breakfast combines both British and continental styles. Maltese people usually start their day with cereal and milk, sometimes with coffee or tea. Jams or chocolate spreads on bread or toast are also common. Cereal bars are becoming popular too. The traditional English breakfast of eggs, sausages, and bacon used to be popular, but now locals prefer a more Mediterranean diet.

Netherlands and Belgium's Toppings

For breakfast, the Dutch and Belgians typically eat sliced bread with butter or margarine and various toppings. These include dairy products (many kinds of cheese), sliced meats, or sweet things like jam, syrup, honey, or peanut butter. A special sweet topping is chocolate sprinkles (hagelslag) or chocolate flakes (chocoladevlokken), which are very Dutch. Children might eat chocolate-topped bread or colorful vruchtenhagel. Tea, coffee, milk, and juice are the most popular breakfast drinks.

Norway's Open-Faced Start

Most Norwegians eat breakfast daily, usually at home. The most common breakfast is open sandwiches (smørbrød), often with whole wheat bread, cheese, cold meats, or jam. Common drinks are water, coffee, milk, and juice. Another common breakfast is cereals like corn flakes with milk or yogurt. Whole-grain porridges are also eaten by some. More elaborate breakfasts might include fish, different cheeses, eggs, bacon, and various breads. Pastries like croissants are also becoming more common.

Poland's Varied Spread

The traditional Polish breakfast is a large spread with many sides eaten with bread or toast. Sides include various cold meats, the Polish sausage, tomatoes, cheese, and sliced pickles. Twaróg, a Polish cheese, is a breakfast staple. It can be eaten plain, with salt, sugar, or honey, or mixed with chives like a cream cheese spread. Eggs are often served, mostly soft-boiled or scrambled. For a quick winter breakfast, hot oatmeal is common. Jam spreads are popular, including plum and raspberry. Breakfast drinks include coffee, milk, hot cocoa, or tea. Poles usually avoid heavy-cooked foods for breakfast, focusing on a wide variety of foods.

Romania's Morning Habits

The traditional Romanian breakfast is milk, tea, or coffee with toasted bread, butter, and honey or fruit jams. Sometimes, the buttered bread is savory, with cured meats, salami, or cheese. Another option is liver pâté on bread. In recent years, Romanians have also started eating cereal with dried fruits and milk. Most people drink coffee, often Turkish coffee. On weekends, crêpes with fruit preserves or cheese are becoming popular for breakfast.

Russia's Porridge and Pancakes

Traditional Russian breakfast focuses on kashas, or porridges. Buckwheat, oat, and semolina porridges are very important, usually cooked with water or milk. Breakfast foods also include pancakes (oladushki) or Blini (crepes). Syrniki are cheese pancakes made from tvorog (quark cheese), which can also be eaten separately with honey. Buterbrod, which are open sandwiches with cold meats and cheeses, are also popular.

Serbia's Rich Breakfasts

In Serbia, breakfast might include eggs in different forms (like an omelet with bacon and feta cheese), canned fish, or open sandwiches with prosciutto, ham, bacon, salami, and salad. Serbian traditional products like kajmak (a creamy dairy product) and ajvar (a pepper spread) are very popular. Fried mushrooms are also common. Different types of pastries like proja (cornbread), gibanica (cheese pie), and burek are served as the main dish. Bakery products like pogačica and kiflice are often eaten. Yogurt, coffee, milk, and tea are preferred breakfast drinks.

Spain's Sweet and Savory

In Central Spain, a special breakfast is chocolate con churros – hot chocolate with Spanish-style fried dough sticks covered in sugar. The chocolate drink is very thick and sweet. However, this is not a regular home breakfast. The usual one is coffee with milk or Cola Cao (a chocolate drink) and toast with olive oil and salt, tomato and olive oil, butter, or jam. Freshly squeezed orange juice is widely available. Sometimes, toast is replaced with galletas (cookies) or magdalenas (a Spanish version of madeleine cakes).

Sweden's Open Sandwiches

Breakfast in Sweden is usually an open sandwich of soft bread or crisp bread with cold meats, cheese, eggs, or pâté. It might also be toast with marmalade or honey. Drinks include juices, coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Breakfast cereals or muesli with milk, yogurt, and fruits are popular. Warm whole-grain porridge with milk and jam is also common.

Switzerland's Morning Meals

Swiss breakfasts are often similar to those in nearby countries. Traditionally, zopf (a braided bread) is eaten on Sunday mornings. A famous Swiss breakfast food, now found all over Europe, is muesli, which was created in 1900 for hospital patients.

United Kingdom and Ireland's Breakfasts

In the UK and Ireland, a weekday breakfast might be cereal like muesli or porridge, or toast with jam or marmalade. Tea and coffee are equally popular. Many people now "skip breakfast" or grab coffee and pastries on their way to work. Quick snacks like granola bars and ready-cut fruit are also common.

The most traditional breakfast is the "full breakfast" with eggs (fried, scrambled, or poached), bacon, and sausages. It usually includes mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, fried bread, and black pudding. This big meal is now mostly for weekends or holidays, or special occasions. A healthier version uses grilled meats and poached eggs. The "full Scottish breakfast" might have beef sausages or haggis instead of pork. This meal became popular in the British Isles during the Victorian era.

Another traditional British breakfast is porridge, which has been a staple food since the Middle Ages. Before American-style cereals, dried bread soaked in hot milk or tea was common. Leftover vegetables and potatoes were often re-fried into "bubble and squeak". Traditionally, breakfast would include a small amount of fruit. Fish like kippers (smoked herring) and kedgeree (smoked haddock, egg, and rice) were also traditional but are less popular now. Most British breakfasts are eaten with tea, coffee, or fruit juice.

A continental breakfast in UK and Irish hotels usually has baked goods (fresh bread, toast, pastries), slices of cheese and cold meat, cereal, yogurts, fruit, and drinks like coffee, tea, or fruit juices.

Breakfast in North America

Breakfasts in North America vary widely from country to country, showing different styles of American and Continental breakfasts.

Canada's Morning Meals

Traditional Canadian breakfast foods include pork sausages, bacon, maple-cured bacon, fried potatoes, maple-infused beans, eggs, toast, cereals, pancakes (or French toast), and maple syrup. Hot oatmeal is also common. Peameal bacon is another Canadian breakfast food. Coffee, tea, and many kinds of fruit juice are widely drunk in Canada during breakfast.

Costa Rica's Gallo Pinto

In Costa Rica, the most common breakfast is "gallo pinto". This dish is made from rice and beans, cooked with chili, onions, and a local herb called culantro. It's served with fried egg, cheese, and fried plantain. Black coffee or coffee with milk are traditional drinks. In the Limón Province, gallo pinto is made with coconut milk. Another popular breakfast is chorreadas, which are savory sweetcorn pancakes, usually with cheese or sour cream.

Cuba's Simple Start

Breakfast in Cuban cities traditionally includes café con leche (sweetened coffee with milk and a pinch of salt). Toasted, buttered Cuban bread is often dipped into the coffee. In rural Cuba, farmers eat roasted pork, beans, white rice, café con leche, and cuajada (a type of cheese) sweetened with caramel.

Dominican Republic's Varied Breakfasts

In the Dominican Republic, breakfast changes by region. In the island's interior, people often have vegetables, especially green plantain, boiled or mashed as Mangú. In the capital, breakfast is lighter, with coffee with milk or hot chocolate, bread, butter, and cheese. Orange juice and other local fruit juices are common. Boiled eggs with corn starch are also eaten.

El Salvador's Traditional Breakfast

A typical Salvadoran breakfast has fried or scrambled eggs, refried beans or casamiento (rice with black beans), fried plantains, cheese or crema (sour cream), and thick Salvadoran-style tortillas (or bread). Sometimes sausage or avocado are added. Breakfast is enjoyed with coffee or fruit juice.

Guatemala's Morning Flavors

In Guatemala, breakfast includes one or two eggs (fried, scrambled, or boiled) with baked or fried beans and coffee. Fresh cream, fresh cheese, and fried plantains are also common. Hot sauce made from chiltepes (a type of pepper) is often added. A traditional egg dish with green and red sauces is called "huevos divorciados". In eastern Guatemala, "huevos a caballo" (eggs on a horse) are two fried eggs over roasted steak. Other breakfasts include milk cereals. Orange juice, milk, and atol (a milk pudding) are common drinks. Coffee is usually served with sweet bread.

Honduras's Hearty Start

In Honduras, people typically start the day with homemade bread and coffee or milk. Then, a plate of food with beans, eggs (scrambled or sunny side up), fried plantain slices, corn, tortillas, cheese, and butter. Egg preparations vary. Another typical breakfast is baleadas (flour tortillas with fillings) and tortillas with cheese. In the Garífuna culture, coffee is served with banana bread or coconut bread.

Jamaica's Unique Breakfast

A Jamaican breakfast includes ackee and saltfish (a fruit and fish dish), seasoned callaloo (a leafy green vegetable), boiled green bananas, and fried dumplings.

Mexico's Big Breakfasts

Breakfast in Mexico is usually served in large portions and is sometimes the main or second largest meal of the day. Common breakfast dishes include: huevos rancheros (fried eggs on tortillas with salsa), chilaquiles (fried tortilla pieces with salsa), quesadillas, tamales, atole (a warm corn-based drink), molletes (open-faced sandwiches), and enchiladas.

Nicaragua's Gallo Pinto

In Nicaragua, the typical breakfast includes "gallo pinto" (the national dish made from red beans and rice), eggs, cheese, corn tortillas, and sweet plantains. Meals are usually served with different juices and coffee. On Sundays, nacatamales (corn dough filled with meat and vegetables, wrapped in plantain leaves) are the traditional breakfast, often with cacao (chocolate drink).

Panama's Heavy Meals

In Panama, breakfast is a heavy meal, especially in the countryside where people do hard labor. It always includes black coffee or coffee with milk, along with corn tortillas, traditional white cheese, or hojaldres (fried wheat flour tortillas). Another traditional side is bollo (corn dough wrapped in corn leaves), sometimes filled with meat. For protein, beef liver with onion, scrambled or fried eggs, beef stew, pork rinds, and different kinds of sausages are popular. These are also served with fried green plantain slices, patacones (double-fried plantain), and carimañolas (yuca filled with meat). These large breakfasts are usually for special occasions. Everyday breakfasts are often more like Western meals, with toast, ham, and cheese. The long US presence has also made cereals with milk and pancakes popular in Panamanian cities.

Puerto Rico's Breakfast Blends

Puerto Rico, being a commonwealth of the United States, has adopted many American breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles, bacon, and eggs. Pancakes and waffles can be made with plantain or breadfruit flour. A Jibarita is a typical breakfast item, like buttermilk-banana pancakes but with sweet plantains and coconut milk. Crêpes filled with fruit, jam, meats, or cheese are also popular.

Cremas (creamy drinks) come in many versions, often flavored with vanilla, clove, cinnamon, and coconut milk. Pan de Agua is a bread served with coffee, jam, and butter. Revoltillo is a Puerto Rican style of scrambled eggs mixed with local cheese, milk, sofrito, and other ingredients. Baked sweet potatoes or sweet plantains are cooked with their skin on, then split and topped with butter, sugar, cheese, and cinnamon, served with longanisa (sausage) and eggs.

Orange and papaya juice are standard breakfast drinks, with other options like mango and guava. Punche de Malta is a malta beverage mixed with ice, eggs, and milk. Cow milk, goat milk, and plant milks are also part of breakfast. Hot chocolate and chocolate milk are enjoyed by kids and adults.

United States' Morning Meals

In the United States, breakfast usually starts around 8:12 a.m.

Traditional Breakfasts

There are two main types of breakfasts: traditional and quick. Traditional breakfasts, often eaten on weekends, include any mix of eggs, meats, and breads like pancakes, waffles, toast, or biscuits. In the Southeastern United States, biscuits and gravy are popular. In some regions, like the Northeast, bagels are common, often toasted with butter or cream cheese. Doughnuts are another popular breakfast item, often eaten with coffee.

Breakfast sandwiches are also common, usually with egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage, on bread or a roll. A breakfast burrito is a variation from the Southwest.

Quick Breakfasts

Quick breakfasts are often eaten on weekdays, before school or work, when there isn't much time. These include foods like oatmeal, grits, breakfast cereal, fruit, and granola bars. They are often eaten with juice or coffee. Toast, often buttered, is also popular.

Breakfast Drinks

Coffee is a common drink, as is tea. Fruit juices, especially orange juice, are also common. Milk is widely drunk, either plain or flavored with chocolate or strawberry.

Breakfast in Oceania

Australia's Morning Habits

Before World War II, traditional Australian breakfast was grilled steaks and fried eggs, because beef was easy to get. While this is still eaten in rural areas, most city Australians today eat commercially prepared cereal with milk or yogurt, and toast with spreads like marmalade or vegemite. Two common cereals are cornflakes and Weet-bix (wheat biscuits). Fruit is also common. Cereals with added sugar, marketed to children, include Frosties and Coco Pops.

A cooked breakfast is more likely on weekends or special occasions, at home or a café. It can include eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomato, hash browns, and pancakes, similar to British and American cooked breakfasts.

Fiji's Breakfast Foods

In ethnically Fijian villages, breakfast might be tea with milk and sugar, and flour-based foods like tovoi (fried dough), pancakes, bread, or biscuits with butter. Sometimes, a starchy food like cassava or taro in coconut milk, or rice, is served. Leftover fish or meat from the night before might also be eaten. Tea made from lemon leaves and fruits like pineapple, banana, and papaya are also served. In cities, tea and cereals are common. Breakfasts for Fiji Indians often include a vegetable curry with roti.

New Zealand's Breakfast Choices

Breakfast in New Zealand is similar to Australia. There are many processed breakfast cereals, and children often eat those with added sugar. In winter, porridge is commonly eaten, usually with milk, brown sugar, fruit, or yogurt. Toasted bread with butter, jams, or spreads like marmite and vegemite, or eggs, are also common. Eating breakfast at a café was rare until the 1990s, but now cafés serving breakfast or brunch are common.

A "Big Breakfast" is a main item at cafés, similar to the British cooked breakfast but usually without black pudding. Other common menu items include various egg dishes, beans, minced beef or avocado on toast, sweetcorn fritters, pancakes, and fruit salads. Breakfast often includes tea or coffee, with children often drinking milk.

Breakfast in South America

Argentina's Simple Start

In Argentina, breakfast is simple: tostadas (toast), often with butter and marmalade, or medialunas (croissants). These are usually served with milk coffee and orange juice.

Brazil's Morning Coffee

Breakfast in Brazil tends to be lighter, as lunch is considered a more important meal. It's called café da manhã (morning coffee) and includes bread, butter, jam, fruits, cheese, ham, eggs, cereal, pão de queijo (cheese bread), cakes, yogurt, coffee, milk, and fruit juice. Regional differences exist. Children might drink milk mixed with a little coffee.

Because many Germans moved to southern Brazil in the 1800s, many hotels and restaurants there offer a "café colonial" (colonial breakfast). This is a rich table with various homemade breads, pies, and cakes. It also includes butter, cheeses, ham, sausages, and honey. Drinks like milk, coffee, hot chocolate, and even wine are served.

Uruguay's Traditional Breakfast

The most traditional breakfast in Uruguay is to drink Mate early in the morning, often with Torta frita (fried dough). Nowadays, people also prefer coffee, usually with milk. Young kids often prefer chocolate milk and more American-style breakfasts like cereals and milk or yogurt. Cheese is also a common food, as Uruguayans eat a lot of dairy. Bizcochos (pastries like croissants) are probably the most common choice to serve with Mate or coffee.