If I had to choose my favorite meal of the day, I’ll stick to breakfast. Over the years, I’ve got to appreciate the hearty food to break the night fast anew. But if you look at different cultures around the world, breakfast has always been the first opportunity to serve traditional dishes to families and guests alike.
Last updated: September 7, 2025
TRADITIONAL BREAKFASTS AROUND THE WORLD
Morocco
Morocco is a country where my fascination with traditional breakfasts started. Imagine walking into a room with a long table full of dates, different kinds of bread, eggs, milk, coffee, and semolina porridge.
Yes, semolina porridge! You hardly find oatmeal for breakfast in Morocco. Instead, locals eat semolina porridge that they cook with milk or a mixture of milk and water. Next to a big bowl of the warm porridge, you will always find honey and jam. And of course no Moroccan traditional breakfast is complete without Moroccan sweet mint tea.
Russia
Traditional Russian breakfast is simple. It usually consists of warm porridge made from millet, semolina, oats, or buckwheat. The Russians top it with butter, cinnamon, raisins, and sometimes jam.
Oladi or Russian pancakes is another traditional breakfast option in Russia. These popular buttermilk pancakes are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. You will usually eat them with sour cream or homemade jam.
Belarus
Russian neighbors, Belarusians are also big fans of pancakes. But instead of flour, they use potatoes to make their traditional breakfast. Belarusians enjoy their potato pancakes or draniki with sour cream and butter. Kids often add sugar on top of butter, roll draniki up, and devour them.
Austria
Traditional Austrian breakfast is hearty with many options to choose from. It doesn’t come as a surprise since the majority of the locals consider breakfast the most important meal of the day. So, traditional breakfasts here consist of Semmeln (Austrian bread rolls), muesli, cold cuts, boiled eggs, cakes, and pasties. On top of that, Austrians use butter and jam to add extra flavor to their food.
READ MORE: The Best Street Food in Vienna You Must Try
United Kingdom
Contrary to a popular belief, traditional British breakfasts go far beyond humble oatmeal. You will find fried eggs, sausages, baked beans, fried mushrooms, toasts, grilled tomatoes, and even hash browns on the breakfast tables of royals and citizens without any titles.
France
The French love to eat bread as part of their breakfasts. Once in France, you will indulge in slices of baguette topped with butter, jam, and chocolate paste. These breakfast choices go well with tea, coffee, or juice.
Italy
Italians are masters of carbs and eat them any time of the day. Thus, as you can imagine, Italian traditional breakfast is loaded with all kinds of bread.
In the morning, Italians usually drink black coffee or caffé latte and eat fette biscottate (cookie-like hard bread) or bread rolls with butter and jam.
Spain
Spaniards don’t differ a lot from their Italian neighbors when it comes to a traditional breakfast. Spanish breakfast normally consists of coffee, croissants, churros, or other pastries.
Canada
Traditional breakfasts in Canada are big and hearty. They include eggs, pork sausages, bacon, fried potatoes, toasts, and French Toasts with Maple syrup, cereals, and oatmeal.
United States
Traditional American breakfasts differ from one part of the country to another. But the most common breakfast choices include eggs, toasts, bacon and sausages, pancakes, waffles, and cereals. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are favorite breakfast choices for kids.
Hawaii, USA
Hawaii is one of the most unique states in the US, and so is its traditional breakfast. It usually offers a big platter of fresh fruits with some bread.
