Breakfast

For other uses, see Breakfast (disambiguation).

Breakfast (literally meaning "breaking the fast" of the night) is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work. Among English speakers, "breakfast" can be used to refer to this meal, or, less commonly, to refer to a meal composed of traditional breakfast foods (eggs, oatmeal, sausages, etc.) served at any time of day.

Breakfast foods vary widely from place to place, but often include a carbohydrate such as grains or cereals, fruit and/or vegetable, a protein food such as eggs, meat or fish, and a beverage such as tea, coffee or fruit juice. Coffee, tea, juice, breakfast cereals, pancakes, sausages, bacon, sweet breads, fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, black pudding, baked beans, muffins, crumpets and toast with butter or margarine and/or jam or marmalade are common examples of breakfast foods, though a large range of preparations and ingredients are associated with breakfast globally.

Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day, citing studies that find that people who skip breakfast are disproportionately likely to have problems with concentration, metabolism, and weight.

Africa

Acarajé

Moi moi

Breakfast in Africa varies greatly from region to region.

Nigeria

Nigeria has over 250 different ethnic groups, with a corresponding variety of cuisines. For the Hausa of northern Nigeria, a typical breakfast consists of kosai (cakes made from ground beans which are then fried) or funkaso (wheat flour soaked for a day then fried and served with sugar). Both of these cakes can be served with porridge and sugar known as koko. For the south western Yoruba people (Ilé Yorùbá) one of the most common breakfasts is (ounjẹ árọ) is Ògì— a porridge made from corn, usually served with evaporated milk. Ògì is eaten with Acarajé (akara) or Moi moi. Both are made from ground bean paste; akara is fried in oil, and moi moi is wrapped in leaves or foil and then steamed. Ògì can also be steamed in leaves to harden it and eaten with akara or moi moi for breakfast. English tea or malta is served as a breakfast drink. Another popular option in southwest Nigeria is gari, which is eaten like a cereal. Gari, known in Brazil as farofa, is made from the root of cassava. For breakfast, it is soaked in water and sweetened with sugar.

Senegal

Breakfast typically includes coffee, with dried milk and abundant sugar, accompanied by baguette with various spreads: Chocoleca, a Nutella equivalent made from peanuts; butter; or processed mild cheese. Fresh fruit, including mangoes and bananas, is often also part of a simple breakfast.

Asia

Japan

A traditional Japanese breakfast. Steamed white rice, a bowl of miso soup, and a slice of grilled salmon.

A Western style breakfast in a ferry in Japan. A slice of toast, a fried egg, sliced vegetables, a cup of corn soup, and a drink(a coffee or a tea).

A complete traditional Japanese kaiseki breakfast at a ryokan in Kyoto.

Breakfast in modern Japanese households comes in two major variations, roughly Japanese style or Western style. Japanese style breakfasts are eaten widely in Japan, but these days, are more and more confined to weekends and non-working days. Modern Japanese households with younger couples, and young couples with children prefer Western-style breakfasts because they are generally less time-consuming.

The normative Japanese breakfast consists of steamed white rice, a bowl of miso soup, and Japanese styled pickles (like takuan or umeboshi ). A raw egg and nori are often served. Raw egg is to be beaten in a small bowl and to be poured on the hot rice, to make golden colored tamago kake gohan. Nori, sheets of dried laver, is to wrap rice. It includes often a slice of grilled fish. We must not forget some Japanese tea(green tea).

Western styled breakfasts in Japanese household are roughly like those in the U.S., but differ in some details. Japanese children love cornflakes and other cereal with milk , drink milk (or cocoa drink (hot chocolate), some fruit juice, etc.) . Japanese adults (especially younger ones) tend to have toast and butter(or jam), eggs, and slices of vegetables, drink coffee or/and orange juice.

Traditional Japanese inns (like ryokan）are the best places to enjoy a complete traditional breakfast. Western styled hotels and restaurants in Japan that serve breakfast generally offer a mix of Western and Japanese style.

Europe

Denmark

A typical breakfast in Denmark consists of breakfast cereals or bread, bread rolls (rundstykker), cheeses, fruit preserves (marmelade, usually made from berries or citrus fruits) and other toppings, accompanied by skimmed milk, tea or coffee. Oat meal, cereals, youghurt and øllebrød, are also popular options. Weekends or festive occasions may call for Danish pastries (wienerbrød) or a bitters, such as Gammel Dansk.

Greece

Home breakfasts in Greece include bread with butter, honey or marmalade with coffee or milk. Breakfast cereals are also eaten. Children also eat nutella type cream on bread. No breakfast at all is common. Various kinds of savoury pastry (Tyropita, spanakopita, and bougatsa) are eaten for breakfast in some areas of Northern Greece, also by those eating out, usually accompanied with Greek coffee or Frappé coffee.

Traditional Greek breakfast (hot milk, fresh bread, butter and honey, or yoghurt) was also available in special "milk shops" (in Greek Galaktopoleia – Γαλακτοπωλεία γαλακτοπωλείο). Milk shops were phased out between 1970 and 1990 – there are very few left, one is in Athens and some in small towns.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the classic breakfast has been the "full English breakfast", which involves fried egg with bacon and sausage, possibly with some mushrooms or hash browns, and toast and marmalade. It is common for this to be the course of the breakfast that follows consumption of breakfast cereals. It is common to have drinks with this, such as tea, coffee or fruit juice.

Continental breakfast

A continental breakfast consists of a slice of cheese and cold meat, often with a croissant. Although this is the traditional breakfast of mainland Europe, these breakfasts are quite popular in the United Kingdom. Continental breakfasts may feature other starchy foods, such as pastries.

Latin America

Cuba

Cuban bread

Breakfast in urban areas traditionally consisted of café con leche that was sweetened and included a pinch of salt. Toasted buttered Cuban bread, cut into lengths, was dunked in the coffee. In rural Cuba, farmers ate roasted pork, beans and white rice, café con leche and cuajada sweetened with caramel.

Argentina

Breakfast in Argentina is usually composed of croissants ("medialunas"), crackers or toasts with marmalade or butter, and is usually accompanied by a stimulant beverage like coffee or mate.

Oceania

Australia

Cornflakes with milk

Toast with vegemite

The majority of urban Australians eat a cold commercially prepared cereal with pasteurised milk or yoghurt and/or toast with preserves such as marmalade or vegemite for breakfast. Two of the most common cereals are cornflakes and a type of biscuit made from wheat, called Weet-bix. Fruit is also common at breakfast, either on the cereal or eaten separately. This weekday morning meal is often eaten "on the run" which means either in the kitchen or while getting ready for the day's activities, and children often skip breakfast. While not unusual, a cooked breakfast is more likely to be eaten in the weekends or on special occasions either at home or at a cafe. A cooked breakfast is usually egg based, but may also include sausage, bacon, breakfast steaks, mushrooms, tomato, hash browns and pancakes, similar to the British cooked breakfast but perhaps more like the American. Breakfast habits differ more between age groups than between cities. Black tea prepared with milk is a typical drink served with the Australian "brekkie" or freshly brewed coffee rather than instant as in the UK, but other beverages are common too, such as juice.

New Zealand

Porridge with milk

Breakfast in New Zealand is very similar to the Australian breakfast, cornflakes or Weet-bix which is often served with added sugar and milk. The range of processed breakfast cereals is vast and children are more likely to eat those that contain added sugar. New Zealanders, particularly in winter, are likely to eat a hot oat cereal called "porridge". Porridge is typically served with milk, brown sugar, fruit and/or yoghurt. Sliced bread which has been toasted and topped with preserves or spreads is a common alternative breakfast. Eating breakfast at a restaurant was unheard of until the 1990's, however cafes which serve breakfast until midday or all day are now common. The Big Breakfast is the main item at cafes, which is similar to the British Cooked Breakfast, except that it seldom includes black pudding. Other common menu items are: eggs done how you like, eggs benedict, beans on toast, pancakes, cereal and yoghurt, and smoothies. Breakfast nearly always includes coffee, tea or both, with children drinking milk either on their cereal, in a glass or hot milo. Recent concern has been raised about the cost of milk and some families being unable to afford it.

United States and Canada

Scrambled eggs and pre-made pastries

An example of a country breakfast in U.S. This includes waffles with fruit and sausage patties.

Breakfast will often consist of milk and cereal, or eggs. More commonly however people will skip a home-cooked breakfast in favor of bagels, muffins, or other baked goods. Coffee is the most common breakfast beverage. In the United States, 68% of coffee drunk during the day is with breakfast.

Gallery

• 
  A full English breakfast with scrambled eggs, sausage, black pudding, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns, and half a tomato
• 
  A traditional Japanese breakfast for a tourist at buddist temple Chion-in. Rice, Japanese pickles (umeboshi and takuan), a slice of grilled salmon, egg, nori, some vegetable (perhaps a kind of いんげん(Phaseolus vulgaris）with sesame powder , and a tea.

See also

• Breakfast television
• Midnight breakfast
• Wedding breakfast
• Brunch

Further reading

Rampersaud GC, Pereira MA, Girard BL, Adams J, Metzl JD (2005). "Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents". J Am Diet Assoc. 105 (5): 743–60, quiz 761–2. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.007. PMID 15883552. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Wikibooks Cookbook