Breakfast Culture

Out of the borders – from our neighbours

Is Brunch a Thing for You?

by Ezgi Güngördü

Every culture has its own characteristics and habits. However, some of the most interesting of these features for me have always been about food. That’s why I wanted to examine different cultures’ breakfast and brunch habits and gain diversity, flavors and information that I was unaware of before.

Living in a house full of volunteers made me realize what different nationalities eat and what ingredients they use in their meals. When I wake up and go to the kitchen every morning on weekends, I see that everyone is consuming something different for breakfast. Some preferred small portions and quick snacks, while others preferred filling, nutritious (as well as eye-pleasing) breakfasts.

As someone from Turkey, one of the countries with the broadest breakfast culture, what other nations eat began to seem very interesting to me. Therefore, in this article, I will examine the breakfast foods of some cultures that I have compiled as a result of both the insights I have gained from the volunteers and the research I have done.

How did the process of defining breakfast as a ‘meal’ begin in Turkish culinary culture?

Some factors are the transition to European style table setting in the 1850s, the opening of Western restaurants and cafes in Galata and Pera in the 1900s, and the emergence of products such as sauces, creams, tarts, biscuits and cakes that can be eaten before coffee. The innovations brought by time in connection with the living conditions of the people and the population structure of Istanbul consisting of different religions, languages, cultures and peoples were adopted by the majority.

The habit of drinking tea and coffee before lunch is one of them, with the introduction of European flavors into Turkish cuisine. The tea culture, which became widespread in the Ottoman Empire because the majority of the people preferred it, and the snacks offered in coffee houses to those who wanted to eat something before drinking coffee in the richer sections, were also reflected in the home kitchens, and “feeding the stomach” before starting work was instrumental in the adoption of breakfast by the public.

What is the beginning of breakfast culture in Europe?

In the 1920s, governments and doctors in Europe especially emphasized the importance of breakfast, stating that starting the day with a healthy and satisfying breakfast would increase energy and performance in the person. However, even finding breakfast products became a problem when the Second World War began.

How did breakfast habits emerge in other culinary cultures?

I want to state that the breakfast culture was accepted as a meal in all countries after the Second World War, taking into account the working laws and working hours. But, again, pointing out the similarities, it should be remembered that there is a difference between early and late breakfast, which is preferred on weekends, for those working in some countries of the world.

This is such an excellent topic. Our local cuisines are different, our regional cuisines are different, and even our district cuisines within the regional cuisines have significant differences and are all wealthier than each other.

For example:

Hatay cuisine breakfast

There are products such as oily anklet olives, crushed olives, Sürk (mould cottage cheese), salty yoghurt, olive salad, zahter herb salad, pepper with walnuts (muhammara), kaytaz pastry, pepper bread, Antakya cheese, kıtte (acur) in Kahramanmaraş. Head and foot soup with sumac sour is drunk for breakfast.

Van cuisine breakfast

There are herbed cheese, feta cheese, dill and spring onions, Van cacık and honey, molasses, rose jam, if these are not available, kavut, which is consumed by pouring granulated sugar, eggs with sausage, fried eggs, and roasting mıhlama.

Rize cuisine breakfast

Kaygana, kuymak, fried pickles, string cheese, spicy hazelnut paste and mulberry molasses; Rize bagel, also known as bald simit and Hemşin halva are frequently consumed for breakfast.

Denizli cuisine breakfast

Roasted tomatoes, french fries with tomato sauce, steamed potatoes, roasted peppers, chopped onions on boiled eggs, egg salad, walnut honey served with fresh cream, tarhana soup, fried eggs with tomato paste and butter, butter on hot phyllo, red pepper flakes and the wrap made by adding cheese.

But let’s see the classic Turkish breakfast, which we usually eat every Sunday. (Since it’s the perfect day to prepare everything calmly and cook for everyone to eat): It starts with Turkish tea, many kinds of cheese, fried tomatoes and peppers, dressing the sliced cucumbers with olive oil and black pepper, tahini molasses and honey cream, butter and various jams according to the season, green and black olives.

For bread, bagels, pancakes, crepes and all kinds of pastries from different regions. Eggs are one of the most important items of breakfast in Turkey. However, depending on its consistency, boiled, fried or menemen with peppers and tomatoes is always preferred. Also, meat products such as sausage and pastrami are usually on the table if you have a Turkish breakfast.

What About In the World?

-English breakfast: It consists of toast, sausage, beans, eggs, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, and milk tea.

-French breakfast: It consists of coffee and fruit varieties consumed with croissants, baguettes and French toast.

-Italian breakfast: Cornetto and cappuccino duo is one of the most famous breakfasts in Italy. For Italians, everything besides coffee can mean breakfast. Although eating habits differ according to the region, it is possible to find biscuits and various sweet and salty dishes from the patisserie in the Italian breakfast.

-Russian breakfast: Porridge, cottage cheese pancakes and curd cheese mixed with milk or kefir and added to it with sugar and fruit.

-Mexican breakfast: Toast made by adding bacon and eggs between tortilla bread, fried eggs with spicy salsa sauce on tortilla bread, hot chocolate made from the avocado paste and hot dark chocolate mixed with sugar and cinnamon as a beverage.

-Chinese breakfast: boiled eggs, a bowl of rice porridge topped with peanuts, pickles or meat, and deep-fried dough dipped in steamed soy milk in a large bowl. Another delicacy that accompanies the breakfast is the ravioli-like bun filled with sweet red bean paste, which they call ‘bāozi’.

Let’s See Our Volunteer’s Breakfast Routine!

What do you prefer to eat for breakfast?

-Aysel Çakır: “Are you asking about the breakfast that I really like? Let me tell you right away: cottage cheese on toast, red and green sautéed peppers on top of that, and eggs on top. The most important point is the sweet red powdered pepper. As a beverage, I prefer green tea. Even though I don’t eat this every day, I can say it’s my favorite breakfast!”

-Elena Leiterer: What I often eat for breakfast is porridge and yoghurt. And of course with lots of fruit. My favorite fruit for breakfast is bowler, banana, and apples.

-Muhammet Lord: “Eggs (omelette) with peppers with potatoes, different types of cheese, tomatoes, black tea, chocolate spread, honey cream, butter.”

-Anthony Veillard: “Like a Sunday morning back in France, coffee/tea with bread (baguette is perfect) with butter and jam (perfect one is the homemade/grandma one), and you can have one croissant and an orange juice that you have just squeezed. It’s perfection!”