In the olden days breakfast was eaten like a king to fortify oneself with enough energy for the whole day, but today the trend has changed as people have little time to indulge in the luxury of a hearty breakfast. Yet, a leisurely breakfast on weekends does make it a special and relaxing meal. Let us see how people round the world enjoy their breakfast.

Breakfast traditions vary in different countries. The English breakfast as eaten round the world is usually porridge, eggs with bread and jam followed by tea. This is not only nourishing, but also quite easy and quick to make. They also provide proteins, carbohydrates and a variety of vitamins and minerals essential for health.

Eggs supply protein and flavour in abundance. Simply boiled or poached and accompanied by a hot buttered toast, they provide a repast few gourmets would refuse. The possibilities of dressing up eggs and serving them in many ways are endless. Many people eat eggs and bread because of convenience, but every region has its own special breakfast.

India is a vast country with many different kinds of people and tastes. The South Indians like to eat idlies, dosas and upmas served with freshly prepared coconut chutney. North Indians eat puries, curried potatos and tomatoes, poha (beaten rice) cooked with potatoes, green peas, carrots and then flavoured with fresh coriander raisins and green chillies. The Punjabis prefer many kinds of parathas with many different kinds of stuffing’s like potatoes, radish, cauliflower or cottage cheese. They also have non- vegetarian parathas with mince. These are eaten with pickles, curd and a tall glass of lassi. The eastern states often eat pounded rice with jaggery and curd.

‘Halwa’ is not only a sweet, but also a breakfast dish eaten in some places in India as well as West Asian countries where it is called by the same name and is generally prepared with whole wheat flour or semolina, sugar, and raisins and nuts.

The Thais and Chinese eat rice porridge called “kangi” in Malaysia and noodles besides a lot of fruits. Basically ‘kangi’ is rice porridge with meat, fish or bits of prawn in rice gruel with spices, fresh coriander and fried garlic and chillies. It makes a fulfilling meal for school kids and office goers.

In America and Europe pancakes are often eaten and called by different names depending on the fruits or sauces used. So you can have pineapple or strawberry or apple pancakes or even savory pancakes with herbs and cheese. Fresh warm scones and hot buttered croissants are a dream. The variations are as many as your imagination.