Rise and shine! 10 iconic breakfasts from around the world

USA Today

23-05-2025

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but what that looks like varies wildly depending on where you are. From Malaysia's rich, fragrant rice dishes to a full Turkish spread, morning meals offer a delicious glimpse into local culture. These 10 breakfasts from around the world tell stories far beyond the plate. Turkey: Simit
Simit is part of a full Turkish spread at breakfast – Photo courtesy of GoTürkiye
Kahvalti is the name of a full Turkish breakfast, an assortment of breads, cheeses, meats, jams, spreads, olives, sliced tomato and cucumbers, and egg dishes. It also includes simit, a ring-shaped bread covered with sesame seeds with a chewy texture and crunchy exterior. Simit also is a common street food in Istanbul and is often sold at snack bars on ferries. Switzerland: Muesli
Muesli is one of the most well-known breakfasts around the world – Photo courtesy of Jucker Farm AG
A Swiss breakfast encompasses yogurt, cheese, meats, boiled eggs, braided bread called zopf, and a buttery crescent-shaped gipfeli pastry. Another standard offering is muesli, a cold dish of soaked rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.
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Muesli was created around 1900 by Swiss physician Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients at his Zurich-based sanatorium, promoting it as a meal to support overall wellness and natural healing. The dish grew in popularity beyond the clinic, and over the decades, variations with fresh fruit, yogurt, and seeds evolved. Singapore: Kaya toast
Kaya toast is often served with eggs and coffee in Singapore – Photo courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board
In Singapore, kaya toast is a breakfast specialty and an afternoon snack. It's made with two slices of toasted bread filled with butter and kaya, a sweet coconut jam, and often served with coffee and soft-boiled eggs.
It's believed that Hainanese immigrants created the dish, adapting British-style toast with local ingredients, while working on colonial ships during the Straits Settlements era. After settling in Singapore, many Hainanese opened kopitiams — coffee shops that began flourishing after World War II — where kaya toast became a signature offering.
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United States: Eggs Benedict
Eggs Benedict is a breakfast and brunch staple – Photo courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York
Found on many hotel and restaurant menus across America, this classic dish consists of two halves of an English muffin topped with Canadian bacon or sliced ham, a poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. This dish has two origin stories, both beginning in New York City.
Storied steakhouse Delmonico's lays claim to creating the dish in 1894, when Delmonico's chef Charles Ranhofer named the dish after Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, a longtime customer who once asked the kitchen to make her something new. Another story involves stockbroker Lemuel Benedict, who claimed it was invented for him at the original Waldorf Astoria in 1894. Being hungover, Benedict ordered eggs, bacon, buttered toast, and a pitcher of hollandaise sauce. Wherever it came from, it's still one of the most essential breakfast and brunch staples today. Scotland: Haggis
A typical Scottish breakfast often includes haggis – Photo courtesy of VisitScotland
A proper Scottish breakfast contains similar foods served in Great Britain and Ireland, but includes specialties such as Lorne sausage, Tattie scones, and black pudding. Then there's haggis, a savory pudding made by blending sheep's heart, lungs, and liver with a medley of grains and spices, then stuffed into the sheep's stomach to be cooked. Today, it's mostly cooked in a synthetic sausage casing. However, its origins in Scotland go back to ancient times.
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Malaysia: Nasi lemak
Malaysians kick of their day with this coconut and pandan-flavored rice – Photo courtesy of Tourism Malaysia / Los Angeles
A typical Malaysian breakfast includes nasi lemak, rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan, making it richly flavorful and fragrant. It comes with a spicy chili condiment, sambal belachan, and other accompaniments like roasted nuts, a wedge of a hard-boiled egg, dried and salted anchovies, and sliced cucumbers. Peru: Pan con chicharrón
Pan con chicharrón fuels many weekend mornings in Peru – Photo courtesy of PROMPERÚ
A beloved sandwich and a traditional weekend breakfast item in Peru, the pan con chicharrón features marinated and crispy pork belly accompanied by slices of fried sweet potato known as camote. It's topped with zarza criolla — a refreshing salsa made with red onions, lime juice, cilantro, and a touch of rocoto chili. Served on crusty bread, it's often paired with coffee or fresh juice.
While the exact origins of pan con chicharrón in Peru remain uncertain, it's believed to have become popular during the colonial era, influenced by Spanish culinary traditions that favored pork. Regional variations of pan con chicharrón reflect Peru's diverse geography and cultural traditions. Jamaica: Ackee and saltfish
Ackee and saltfish, a breakfast favorite, is Jamaica's national dish – Photo courtesy of The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel
This traditional meal combines salted codfish with ackee and is considered Jamaica's national dish. When cooked, ackee, a creamy yellow fruit, resembles scrambled eggs in texture.
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It's typically sautéed with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and Scotch bonnet peppers, creating a savory and slightly spicy flavor profile. Ackee and saltfish usually comes with sides such as festival (a traditional type of fried dough), boiled green bananas, or breadfruit.
Saltfish is also part of signature meals in other Caribbean destinations, including Saint Lucia's green figs (green bananas) and saltfish. Costa Rica and Nicaragua: Gallo pinto
Gallo pinto, a savory rice and beans dish, is the star player in Costa Rican breakfasts – Photo courtesy of Hotel Three Sixty
Consumed mainly in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, this nourishing breakfast dish involves a mix of rice, beans (commonly black in Costa Rica and red in Nicaragua), and chopped up bits of onion and bell peppers. Enhanced with garlic and cilantro, this mixture gets plated with fried and scrambled eggs or avocado.
In Costa Rica, it comes with a popular bottled condiment called Lizano Salsa Sauce, whose taste is similar to Worcestershire sauce.
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Mexico: Chilaquiles
Red or green chilaquiles is a staple breakfast dish in Mexico – Photo courtesy of bonchan / iStock Via Getty Images