What is the most important meal of the day? You must have heard bits from the roaring debate over food at some point or the other. There is always some sort of argument going on about what we should eat and what we shouldn’t. One day you hear coffee being hailed and the next some research holds it guilty of many crimes against good health.
But there is one thing on which food researchers, nutritionists and health experts agree unanimously. This is the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for maintaining the health of our bodies. There have been studies showing that missing breakfast may lead to lack of concentration, may affect cardiac health and lead to various metabolic problems.
Traditional breakfasts all over the world have been seen to contain a fair amount of carbohydrates, a protein-rich food and a beverage. These are all important to kickstart the day after the night’s rest when the last meal has been used up.
Breakfast is akin to recharging the batteries of your mobile phone. It gives you sustenance and energy to begin the day’s tasks.
Look at the breakfasts served in our own country. The north is known for its poori-aloo, chana-bhatura and parantha-dahi combos. Down south, rice is the main breakfast ingredient and idli-sambar, dosa-sambar or vada-sambar are popular options. If you move towards the western region of the country, you will observe that rice rules here as well and kanda poha — a dish made of flattened rice is the common favourite besides upma. The east shows favour to the luchi served with a potato gravy or poori served with ghugni — a dish often made of dried peas.
Doesn’t this make your jaw drop? There is such a huge variety available in our own country. What do you think people all over the world eat for breakfast? I am sure you know some of the popular breakfasts in countries like UK, USA and maybe Italy as well.
Let us take a look at some interesting options from around the world.
1. France: The French love their coffee. They also love their croissants, a buttery flaky pastry, named after its crescent shape. This bakery item enjoys elite status not only on the French breakfast menu but also on all continental menus.
2. Mexico: While most Americans prefer pancakes with maple syrup alongside a bowl of milk and cereal, just across the border in Mexico Huevos divorciadios is enjoyed by the locals. This dish consists of two fried eggs, salsa and chilaqueils (something similar to tortillas). The eggs are covered in different types of salsa complimenting one another’s flavours.
3. China: Century eggs is a typical breakfast item eaten in China. This delicacy is made by preserving eggs from duck, quail or chicken for several months in a mixture of ash, salt, clay, rice hulls and lime, which turns their yolks a dark brown colour with a creamy texture and sulphurous smell, and their whites a dark brown, transparent jelly. Besides this, porridge called congee and fried breadsticks and buns are common food items from China.
4. Japan: a typical Japanese breakfast consists of a bowl of rice, miso soup and Japanese-style pickle. A raw egg is often beaten and poured over rice. Grilled fish and green tea are also important accompaniments to this meal.
5. Germany: A typical first meal of the day in this country starts with bread rolls, butter, jam, ham, sausages, soft boiled eggs and coffee.
There are many other, some weird and some not, dishes on the menu at breakfast all over the world.
All these dishes are packed with rich foods to boost energy levels early in the day.