I am an American living in Japan. When you go grocery shopping, the very few breakfast cereals they have are usually located in the candy or chips isle.

that's super sad. I LOVE CEREALS, i have a bowl everyday XD

I live in thailand, we like cereals here so there's an impressive selection

I live in the Middle East and we have foul, falafal and hummos with fresh bread and salad. YUM!

I live in ireland and toast is NOT an integral part of breakfast. Breakfast cereal, porridge etc would be a typical breakfast. A cooked breakfast with sausage bacon eggs etc would not a daily breakfast for many by any means but rather a treat that a person might have on a Sunday morning and so forth.

when I lived in england, breakfast was either something small and normal like an egg or toast, or on weekends we would have bangers and mash (sausages and potatoes, with grilled tomatoes). the weekend breakfast was really memorable, sigh...

i'm from the UK, generally we have cereal for breakfast, i don't think i know anyone who has enough time to make sausages, bacon, eggs etc :s

I live in the US but by no means do I reflect what everyone else eats. On the weekdays when I have morning classes I will either have cereal with almond milk or oatmeal with hemp and almond milk. If I have time I will make Mate w/ Rooibos Chai tea and bring it with me. On the days when I don't have morning classes I try to put a little more work into my food. I will either have breakfast potatoes or tofu+veggies breakfast burrito with coffee (or tea) and a hemp/fruit/almond milk smoothie.

I can't begin my day without breakfast or I will be extremely tired and unable to think clearly and thoughtfully.

I'm an American living in Germany.  I have breakfast in several European countries and most are very similar.  Most hotels and hostels offer a breakfast buffet included with your stay or for a small fee (the buffet can be pricey at more expensive hotels).  The buffets typically have 2-3 different kinds of bread, a variety of sliced meats and cheeses, yogurt, museli/granola/cereal, fresh or canned fruit, hard boiled eggs, coffee, tea and juice.  Some places offer hot foods such as scrambled eggs and bacon (which does not always look like American bacon).  Many Americans that I have talked to do not like this type of breakfast.  It is surprising the first time you see it.  I love it because the food is not heavy.  The thought of pancakes, french toast and omelets is no longer appealing. 

I live in the US and I don't know many people who wake up to bacon and eggs everyday. My family has a big breakfast of bacon and eggs on Sunday ONLY!  My usual breakfast is a cup of coffee and some toast.  I guess that means I am un-american???   Also cereal can mean a wide variety of things.... rice, oats, grits, etc... so by cereal do you all mean, the boxed kinds of dry cereal or the others?

I have always wondered what other countrys eat for breakfast I am Mexican so a traditional breakfast would be huevos rancheros or chorrizo con huevos(eggs with salsa or eggs with mexican sausage) beans and tortillas but I usually have a smoothie or cereal with almond milk. I only eat the traditional breakfast when I have time on the weekends and only sometmes because of the hight calories and fat.

I am from UK and I also reside in Canada and Jamaica and I eat totally different in every country.

In the UK - I usually would have crumpets or cheese on toast or marmalade on toast or a scone for breakfast with tea or coffee or milk or orange juice - only would we cook a full breakfast with bacon n eggs on the weekend or if we went to the pub.

we also do a "bubble & squeek" (name comes from the sound it makes while frying in the pan) for breakfast from the left over food on Sunday or monday morning - which is taking the leftover food from the day before and frying it all in one pot... cabbage, potato, meat, carrotts etc. Delicious!

In Canada - I usually have a bagel with cheese..(rye and chedder is my favourite) others around me have a bagel and cream cheese (seems to be very popular), cereal with yogurt or milk, a smoothie, or those breakfast sandwhiches which are sold at every coffe shop, fast food joints. Eggs with bacon or sausage round on english muffin.

In Jamaica we have "tunn cornmeal".. which is turned cornmeal aka porrage, or Ackee and Salt Fish (ackee is a fruit and Salted Cod fried in oil) over cornmeal or flour dumpling, or any "ground food"...  Bammy (grated and fried cassava) Cho Cho, Dasheen, Irish (potato), etc. we also eat a lot of rice in the morning as well and finish off our breakfast with lots of fresh fruit.

we also do a "sunday monday".. which is similar to bubble and squeek where we put all the food from Sunday dinner into one pot and fry it Monday morning... hense sunday -monday!

I personally like the breakfast in Jamaica the best... its hot and filling and prepares you for the hot day ahead!     

Oh i forgot to mention that in UK my mother loves love love Blood Pudding for breakfast. Google it....I myself am not a fan!

Iv never heard of eating baked beans for breakfast anywhere, in my life and I'm from Canada...

I for years didnt eat breakfast. I have started scinse having a son. its healthy for the both of us. I try to have oatmeal, or Yogurt and toast, A banana with peanut butter, or something along those lines. Healthy and filling but light. Oh, and tea, always tea

I have never heard of eating baked beans for breakfast in Canada either--and I've lived in central and west Canada--maybe they do that in the east?

People where I have lived in Canada eat porridge or toast or dry cereal with milk, maybe adding a piece of fruit. We only eat pancakes or bacon and eggs or omelets as a rare treat on a Sunday or with company.

sokkies

LOL, Very funny article. I live in Canada (west coast) and have NEVER had or heard of having Baked Beans for breakfast. I would say you forgot to mention, cereal, oatmeal, toast..or nothing at all.....can be large or small. Like most things, breakfast is personal choice and Canada has such a huge multcultural society that I bet if you picked 10 people in Vancouver they would be all be eating something different.

in UK we have baked beans as a part of our "big breakfast".. baked beans, fried tomoato, bacon, sausage, and eggs..

even worse... i never liked baked beans so my mom would give me tinned alphagetti instead (chef boyardi (sp))... to think of it now its really bad - yuk! 

This article is way too simplistic.  Here in the US there are so many regional differences that you can't generalize a US breakfast, let alone add a couple more countries!  Oatmeal is breakfast is some areas of the US, some places its grits, some its toast and coffee, etc. 

When I visit my daughter who lives in the UK, breakfast at the B&B's is muesili or other cold cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, toast, tea, coffee and if you want a hot breakfast they will fix you kippers or the traditional English Breakfast of eggs, bacon, beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms.

When I was in college in Japan, my Japanese host mother would make me curry for breakfast on occassion, because in her mind Americans were big and ate alot (even tho I was the same size as her).

Interesting topic, but it is much more diverse than the article gives it credit for.

I think you will find within the UK most people eat cereal with tea! I know no one who doesn't!!

Hi I'm from Colombia and we usually have coffee adn a bread, but, in some sites of the Country people have "calentado" which is a rewarmed meal mostly includes beans, rice, a meat, fried plantain... It's also common that a family have a light breakfast along the week, but they make it different on weekends, particulary sundays, when people have a large breakfast almost like a brunch!

Me, I use to have a herbal tea and a toast for breakfast....

I think this article isn't very modern and it's written like we still live in the past :P

I'm surprised they're not telling us how people around the world have grog, mead and and a giant turkey leg for breakfast.

Concidering this is just a quick reference before the gentlemen goes on his 1 year tour of the world to blog about what people are actually eating for breakfast I find it a pretty accurate on a general level... if we went into fine detail the article would be a novel!

In Russia, families are obsessed with hot cereals..there are SO many different kinds! Adults often, though, just have black coffee or tea with ham/cheese/dill on rye bread.

Portugal... roll? Here in portugal we usually eat milk, coffee and bread, or breakfast cereal (mostly children, adolescents and young adults). I have breakfast cereal everyday with a piece of fruit. But many people skip breakfast and have a coffee in the middle of the morning.

Original Post by: kc416

Concidering this is just a quick reference before the gentlemen goes on his 1 year tour of the world to blog about what people are actually eating for breakfast I find it a pretty accurate on a general level... if we went into fine detail the article would be a novel!

This was exactly our initial thinking. Just like Erik, we are fascinated by foreign cultures and find it intriguing that people eat such a variety of foods all over the world. Granted, all we know about this topic is what we were able to research online, and we hope that Erik will provide us with more insights as he continues his journey. In hindsight, we should have explained that the point of this article was to just whet your appetite for our new series (pun intended), so stay tuned for more comprehensive and detailed information.

mmmm....I am so hungry now! I love breakfast! And I would love to try all the breakfasts from different cultures. My mother is Mexican American so I got Chorizo and eggs, Menudo, beans, rice tortillas. But my dad's parents are from Oklahoma. So I got to enjoy eggs, biscuits and homemade country gravy, sausage and bacon. These of course were only on weekends or special occasions. Other wise it was cereal and toast. My kids and I almost always have dry cereal with milk and a fruit of some sort during the week.

I totally love how the countries in So. Am, Africa, and Asia are lumped together, that there is no mention of eastern European region or any island nations at all, and that there is a detailed inventory of breakfasts for Western Europe and most of North America.

im  part italian  and  part  greek  but  live in  portugal. i love breakfast with a big  bowl  of  fresh  fruit. my  favorite is rasberries blueberries orblack  withy kiwi and grapes or a apple. followed by a large mug  of black expresso  coffee very  strong.i  alos like branflakes  with plain fat  free igurte and 1or 2 portions fruit

I feel like people normally have big traditional breakfasts during the weekends or on special occasions. Normally, I'll have tea and a fruit or oatmeal. If not I'll have Fiber One and almond milk. Followed by a multi-vitamin. If I have a lot of time I'll make an omelette.

I'm on the west coast of BC as well and have never had baked beans for breakfast. I'm a cereal or protein-shake kind of gal, big breakfasts are not my thing.

I live in Canada, but also in the West (BC), and I hadn't heard of baked beans for breakfast... but my husband is from Ottawa, and he says it's very popular there, and in most breakfast places in the East, breakfast comes with "beans or no beans".... :)

We're usually toast or cereal eaters (although I'm partial to oatmeal, or yogurt with granola and bananas and flax seeds mixed in).  On Sunday we have our special treat breakfast - fried eggs, sausages (if I can find all-natural no preservative ones), toast, and sometimes homemade hashbrowns (if I've got the time or the inclination).

I love breakfast.  I'll eat it any time of day!  :)

I'm Australian, living in Italy and my husband is Serb. Aussies eat baked beans on toast for brekky - sometimes, though usually it is something on toast (I miss my Vegimite) or cereal. A big English style breakfast with eggs and all the rest is usually for the weekend, Saturday in a cafe while reading the papers or Sunday at home over a (possible) hang-over!

Italians (depending on the region) have a very light breakfast, a few cookies and hot milky coffee at home, or fette biscottate (zwieback) and then maybe take something else on their way to work like a cappuccino and a cornetto which is the Italian version of croissant.  Cereal is just starting to be an option here, and usually it is for kids and sickly sweet or stuffed full of bran, always, Italians seem to eat something sugary for brekky, which I can't get into - I'm into my porridge and muesli. Italians tend to snack on little things until lunch, which is the serious meal of the day, and all kinds of pre-packaged things are available.

In Serbia, now that is a whole different thing. Breakfast is later, usually after 10am and all savoury, bread, cheese, cold meats and tomato or pickles, or egg dishes, sometimes fried dough eaten with fresh cream cheese. Hearty and laden with protein and saturated fats. I have to say my favourite breakfast is burek, which is a cheese and filo pie, you have it with drinking yogurt and it is rich and tasty but not so good for those wanting to shed a few kilos! Of course, this is just the style of Serbian breakfast I ate, living in the country, I am sure it is different in Belgrade or another city.

No mention of bagels?? I have a whole-wheat bagel for breakfast basically every day. I would be a much less happy girl without them :)

I was born and raised in Canada west coast.  I have never heard of anyone having baked beans for breakfast.  Most people have a healthy fibre filled cereal with fruit and skim milk, oatmeal, porridge, or toast a nut butter and/or fruits spread. Pancakes, bacon and eggs, crepe etc for weekends or holidays by no means every day. Always coffee or tea. Need the caffeine.  I have friends from Hong Kong they eat porridge with fresh fruit everyday.  Family from UK eat about the same as us Canadians.  Husbands Mexican also eats the same as Canadians.  We have been to the states and are shocked by the portion size and what people eat for breakfast. Mind you this is dining out.  What is served for one adult is enough for four adults and the sugar and salt content is extreme.  When we travel to the states we order kids sizes or spilt one adult dish.  The last time me and my friend went there and ordered a burger the bun was so full of sugar we had to sent it back again we were sharing it because it is to big for one person.  Canadian do not ad as much sugar and salt to their food as are lovely neighbors.  We simply will not buy it. 

Sweeping generalization, much? Also, your grammar is horrible :)

Erik Fantasia : Who is funding this research? I think most of your research is answered right here in calorie count with all these responses seems like most of your research you've done is limited or something. If no one is funding i wished i had that same money to travel all over the world to do the same!

I hope when youre done you're going to use some of these responses and thank the people here for the insight! :)

I cant believe you didnt mention Krumpetts for UK. Thats quite common.

"The UK and Ireland

Breakfast is toast, always, along with assorted sweet breads, rolls or cakes with butter and honey or jam. In addition, sausage, bacon or smoked fish can also be served.  Regional porridges are eaten too, and tea and coffee accompany the meal"

-  in a word, no.  I was born in the UK and have lived here all my life.  I can honestly say I can count on one hand the number of times I have had toast for breakfast.  I have NEVER had "assorted sweet breads" and do not know anyone who has.  Cakes?  Where did you get this from?  Total rubbish!  I myself usually have porridge or muesli.  Most of my friends have cereal or possibly toast.  I never drink tea/coffee at breakfast time.  I also think this article in general is a HUGE over simplification.

Karen

All breakfasts contain a carbohydrate? That's a generalization - mine often do not, since I don't handle grains and starches well in the morning. And it's wrong to say that there is just one example of a "typical American breakfast". I never have cereal, bacon, sausages, orange juice, or anything like that.

I might have a greens smoothie with banana, raw almond milk, hemp seed powder, flaxseed, spinach, and Greek or goat's milk yogurt with some fresh berries on the side - whatever's in season. I also enjoy bowls of homemade muesli with raw milk keifer (fermented milk). I sometimes will have eggs that I buy from a local farmer as well. I can't imagine eating the carb-fest that is "breakfast" to many (though, not all) Americans today. My brother's breakfast is typically a jumbo double-chocolate muffin, a sweetened yogurt, orange juice, and a banana. Sure there's fruit in there, but there's also WELL over 100 grams of sugar in that one meal alone. It's no wonder we have an obesity epidemic among children.

This is such a stereotyped post though really - I'm surprised you didn't mention Vegemite for Australians.

I have been eating 1-2 sweet potatoes with either tuna, salmon,a bowl of tofu, cinnamon and stevia or occasionally a Spirulina protein shake. I have a single cup of organic coffee made in a stovetop expresso maker, soy milk and equal. Once in a while I will have pumpkin with cinnamon and stevia instead of the sweet potatoe.

I'm an American living in Egypt.  Here, breakfast is usually the meal with the most versatility.  Beans (Foul) and Falafel, many many different kinds of cheeses, salad, molasses w/tahina, eggs, etc.  All of it with fresh pita bread, and don't forget the morning cup of Shay bi leban! (tea with milk) :)

My husband is from a suburb of Toronto and baked beans with a big breakfast is common, but having a big breakfast is a rare treat. 

I'm British and have only ever had cakes for breakfast when abroad! I would say a typical breakfast here would be toast and / or cereal and milk with tea or coffee during the week. A "fry-up" at the weekend would consist of bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans or tomatoes, hash browns or toast and possibly black pudding if you're brave! I eat a wide variety of breakfasts including banana and fruit shakes, fresh fruit and yoghurt, porridge, beans on toast.......vive la difference!

i'm from dominican republic are traditional breakfast is very large, a big plate of mangu (mashed platein), with salami and fried onions with any kind of cheese or sometime eggs and milk or juice

I'm English and agree with other comments from British people here. I've only eaten sweet breads or cakes for breakfast abroad...ok, you find things like croissants and danish pastries in English cafés, but they're still seen as foreign items and aren't what people eat at home for a normal breakfast. As far as I'm aware the most normal things to eat for breakfast in England are cereals with milk, porridge, muesli or toast with jam/marmalade/marmite etc. People tend to drink tea, coffee, water or juice. At the weekend you might have a nice bacon sandwich or a full cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, beans, fried bread etc, but these are occasional treats for most people.

As for Spain, where I've lived for 4 years..like people have explained about Portugal and Italy, people here tend to get up early and just have a milky coffee for breakfast, then eat a sandwich mid-morning. Most other breakfast options are very sweet - glazed donuts, biscuits, chocolate croissants, the usual sugary cereals that they sell in every country etc. But when they have more time, people in my region of Spain (Catalunya) like to have a bigger breakfast of slices of crusty bread rubbed with tomato and drizzled with olive oil and salt, with cooked meats or slices of cheese on top. It's a very typical dish here for any meal, not only breakfast, and it's absolutely delicious! Again, people usually drink milky coffee, although hot chocolate is also really popular with adults as well as children.

I love your idea for articles on meals from around the globe.  As an admitted foodie, I love to learn about food traditions from other countries.  I think some of you people should open your minds a little, this article is not a doctoral dissertation it is intended as a fun learning introduction.  For the ones who seem to want to proove they are healthy eaters by listing all of the good stuff they eat, lighten up, and enjoy the experience of learning of other ways.  I for one will be a regular reader, Thanks for the opportunity.

I guess I'm the "odd man out' on this one.  I live in the Silicon Valley.  Every weekday morning, I get up early and make breakfast for my hard working husband: an egg and two small, halved tomatoes fried in a teaspoon of olive oil, a low-fat sausage link, a slice of whole wheat toast, about 1/2 cup of orange juice, and coffee.

I usually have a toasted whole wheat waffle topped with a tablespoon of low fat ricotta cheese, a tablespoon of chopped walnuts, and half a cup of fresh blueberries.  Sometimes, I'll have a small bowl of maple-flavored instant oatmeal topped with fresh blueberries.

On weekends, it's every man for himself in our home, because everyone gets up whenever they feel like it.  I try to have simple breakfast items on hand: bagels and reduced fat cream cheese, croissants and brie, fresh fruit, (grapes, bananas), orange juice, coffee.

We do love our pancakes, so an occasional breakfast, on any given day, might be pumpkin pancakes topped with a fried egg, next to maple-flavored sausages, fresh fruit, (mango or peach slices), orange juice, and, of course, coffee.

I'm from Canada, and I've never even *heard* of eating baked beans for breakfast...maybe it's a Quebec thing.  I imagine that along with maple festivals come the maple beans...even for breakie.

I usually have fruit for breakfast, and sometimes cereals like Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies.  Things likes waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, and sometimes even eggs are reserved for weekends when we've got more time in the morning.

Australia is a multicultural country- I think it would be a bit of everything on this list in different households. I don't know anyone that has bacon/eggs and stuff. Who has time to cook that in the morning? I'm lucky if I get a bowl of cereal. And I highly doubt British people "always" eat toast, lol. Especially since I've seen evidence to the contrary in menus posted here.

Original Post by: sokkies

I have never heard of eating baked beans for breakfast in Canada either--and I've lived in central and west Canada--maybe they do that in the east?

People where I have lived in Canada eat porridge or toast or dry cereal with milk, maybe adding a piece of fruit. We only eat pancakes or bacon and eggs or omelets as a rare treat on a Sunday or with company.

sokkies

I'm from the East (Nova Scotia) and haven't lived anywhere else... I don't think baked beans are an eastern thing either!! I've never heard of anyone doing that!

I think I eat pretty typical breakfasts... cereal or toast or a bagel or French toast with chocolate milk or juice to drink if I'm alone, but if there's a larger group, pancakes with bacon and eggs are usually on the menu. On the way to school, my boyfriend and I also usually eat a slice of fresh homemade bread (plain or banana bread) as well.

I must agree...totally tried to simplify a statement about breakfasts around the world and then added too many specifics which blurs the statement to then seem incorrect.  I am an American that has lived in Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit.  Traveled the States and spend a huge portion of my time in Canada.  We have lived and traveled literally around the world for work.  If you want a better generalization, a small breakfast of some kind of bread or porridge/cereal made from various grains is served with butter, jam or fruit around the world for a daily breakfast.  Most popular wheat/oats in the west and rice in the east.  A type of milk or yogurt is often on it, in it or in their warm drink of coffee, tea or cocoa.  Large breakfasts are simply for the weekend no matter where you live.  They may be of an egg base in the west or the same as dinner in the east.  What I consider the "small" differences then vary by what the region, culture or climate has grown or raised and is "traditionally" available.  Simple.