At our house, breakfast rules. On the weekend we (well, mostly Jon) spend at least an hour putting together something supremely delicious. It might be omelets, home fries, and breakfast sausage (all from local ingredients thanks to Heritage Farms, Vern’s Veggies, and Cascade Creek, without whom breakfast wouldn’t be the same) or huckleberry pancakes or waffles made from yeasted batter left to sit overnight and develop into a delectable and complex flavor. Occasionally, I’ll get a hankering to bake and we’ll have hot biscuits or scones.
There’s always lots of hot coffee and tea (with homemade Irish Crème added if we’re feeling particularly decadent) and on special occasions we get out the juicer and make fresh squeezed Mimosas.
Weekday breakfasts are equally delicious, if a bit pared down. Oatmeal with huckleberries, scrambled eggs on homemade toast, grits with fried eggs and hot sauce, yogurt with fresh made granola and berries are a few of the regulars. My less traditional favorites are leftovers from pizza night or cold spaghetti (I know it sounds weird but don’t knock it till you try it).
This weekend, as I polished off my plate of eggs, potatoes and sausage, I felt quite sure that this was not what everyone in the world considered a perfect breakfast. Other cultures must have equally delicious but foreign fare for their first meal of the day. Maybe I was missing out on something I should try.
After the dishes were washed (the price I pay for having someone cook me a gourmet breakfast in my own home every weekend), I sat down with my second cup of tea and searched the internet to find out what people from different cultures and continents eat for their most important meal of the day.
One of my first discoveries and a new addition to my list of must eats for breakfast was a type of rice soaked in coconut cream and steamed. Nasi lemak is the national dish of Malaysia and is served with various accompaniments including dried anchovies in a spicy sambal sauce, roasted peanuts, and hard boiled eggs. It’s served anytime of the day but is traditionally a breakfast food.
Rice is a predominant theme in Asian breakfasts, with each country and region adding its own twist. Some use last night’s leftovers for the base of the morning meal, others cook the rice to a porridge consistency, and most add ingredients we Westerners would consider “wrong” for breakfast like dried and salted fish (although we do like our smoked salmon) and lots of spicy chilies.
There are also a wide array of delicious sounding breads and noodles served for breakfast across Asia. These are accompanied by stuff you just don’t see on a breakfast plate north Idaho, like pickled vegetables, preserved eggs, dried fish, and spicy curries.
Middle Eastern breakfasts vary as much as Asian ones but there are some common themes. Yogurt and cheeses are eaten along with various flatbreads. Olives, olive oil, tomatoes, and some type of bean dish often augment the bread and cheese. The most interesting Middle Eastern dish I came across was from Iran. Called halim and eaten in the early morning, it’s a wheat porridge cooked with either poultry, lamb or beef. What got my attention is that it is served with cinnamon, butter and sugar; not your typical breakfast combo. At first I couldn’t see how those flavors would combine well, but as I read through some recipes I could see the appeal.
African breakfasts take their influence from either the Middle East or Europe depending on what part of the continent you are in. Northern African breakfasts rely on flat breads (mostly made from millet or sorghum, not wheat) with fish, beans, yogurt and spices for accompaniments. South African breakfast is heavily influenced by its colonizers and features eggs, bread and meat with an unfortunate emphasis on sugary breakfast cereal from multi-national corporations. In poor areas, porridge of cassava, millet, and rice are common along with whatever fruit is in season.
Although coffee is not native to South and Central America, it took to the soils there and flourished. It also became part of the breakfast culture and everything I read about Latin American breakfast begins with a cup of strong coffee or hot chocolate (which I’m guessing is what coffee replaced when it was introduced). Besides coffee, there is no overriding theme. Breads and jam and fruit juice are popular and well as tortillas and different types of porridge or beans. One of my favorite breakfast foods, huevos rancheros, is more traditionally a mid-morning meal, not something you’d break your fast with.
European breakfasts come the closest to what many of us are used to. Breads with butter and jam, sweet pastries, sausages and cured meats, cheeses, and fruit juices abound. Eggs are not as prevalent but the varieties of bread products more than makes up for it. And, of course, there are infinite ways to get your caffeine fix; the Italians did invent the latte after all.
After all my research over the weekend, I woke up this morning thinking about coconut rice and spicy sauces but I had to get to my computer to write this article so I made due with leftovers. Oh well, maybe we’ll have breakfast for dinner tonight to make up for it.
Breakfast Bars
Even though this recipe has nothing to do with international breakfasts and is a totally Americanized idea of the meal, I made them this weekend and they are mighty tasty.
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine
1 c rolled oats
1/4 c chopped nuts (I used almonds)
¼ c wide chip unsweetened coconut
3 T mixed seeds (I used flax and black sesame seeds)
1 c puffed cereal (I used puffed millet
1 c chopped dried fruit (I used apricots and raisins)
¼ c creamy nut butter (I used peanut butter and tahini)
¼ c sugar
¼ c honey
½ t vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Coat a 8”x8” baking pan with cooking spray.
Mix oats, nuts, coconut and seeds together on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted, shaking pan occasionally. Transfer to a large bowl and add cereal and dried fruit.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the nut butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Stir frequently and heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
Pour hot mixture over grain mixture and stir with a spatula until well combined and no dry bits remain. This takes some doing and under no circumstance should you try and mix it with your hands. The stuff is really hot (I know this from experience). Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down to make an even layer. Allow to cool and firm up. Cut into 8 bars.
The finished Breakfast Bars.They taste way better than this picture makes them look.
