Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but there’s not need for boring egg on toast. All around the world, people eat comforting, filling meals to start their day. For some countries, breakfast means runny poached eggs with thick Greek yogurt and pita, and for others, chocolate-filled pastries. In Asia, noodles are king, and breakfast is no exception. Make jams and spreads ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. Then make breads and pancakes in hundreds of ways.
Stateside, we’re comfortable with our oversized bowls of sugary cereal and brown sugar-topped oatmeal, but there’s a whole world of breakfasts out there worth exploring. Here are our favorite breakfast recipes from around the globe. Just add coffee or tea.
Any Chinese noodle—rice, wheat, flat, thin, or broad—can be used in this simple stir-fry from author Francis Lam; it’s one of his favorite breakfast dishes. Get the recipe for Stir-Fried Breakfast Noodles »
Bathed in fragrant curry- and ginger-infused coconut milk, this stew is a popular breakfast dish at Kingston cafés. Get the recipe for Curried Chicken »
A delectable British treat, these springy pancakes are molded in a shallow ring on the griddle and pan-fried until golden. They get their distinctive nooks and crannies—ideal for a slick of jam and butter—from a yeast-based batter boosted with baking soda. Get the recipe for Crumpets »
Espresso powder adds a jolt to this sleepy soda bread. We love it as toast for a breakfast sandwich or to mop up rich sauces alongside a dinner roast. Get the recipe for Irish Coffee Soda Bread »
Test kitchen director Farideh Sadeghin discovered this simple dish while traveling through the Maldives; although fresh-cooked tuna is ideal, water-packed canned tuna works just as well. Get the recipe for Maldivan Breakfast (Mas Huni) »
One of the pillars of the Southern breakfast table, buttery biscuits smothered in a sausage-studded white gravy makes a hearty meal any time of day. A hint of cayenne brightens the gravy’s richness, but it’s even better with a dash or two of hot sauce. Get the recipe for Biscuits with Sawmill Gravy »
This classic French meal of baked, cream-soaked toast and eggs is deceptively simple (and scalable) but lavish. Named for the Alpine region of Bresse, which is best known to the culinary world for its exceptional chickens, the dish is practical country cooking at its finest. As it bakes, the cream soaks into the bread and thickens to a rich sauce right on the platter, resulting in a savory French toast. Get the recipe for French Baked Toast with Cream and Eggs »
Boni’s writing had few frills, and her rustic recipes followed suit. But a seemingly simple dish of whole sausages braised in marinara has spicy-sweet, cooked-all-day flavor. Garnish with torn fresh basil or Italian parsley leaves for a bright, herbaceous finish. Get the recipe for Polenta with Sausage Gravy »
Its name derived from the French verb souffler, meaning “to breathe” or “to puff”, a soufflé’s pillowy top will naturally rise in the oven but slightly deflate just moments after removal. The eggy treat’s fleeting moment of perfection is one of the reasons the dish is handled so delicately by chefs and cherished so deeply by diners. This savory cheese version is courtesy of chef Daniel Skurnick of Le Coucou restaurant in New York City. Get the recipe for Egg and Cheese Soufflé »
If Plato had imagined hash browns, they’d have been rösti: fresh potatoes coarsely grated, pressed, and fried. In the dish’s native Switzerland, recipes include bacon, rosemary, caraway seeds, eggs, pasta, cheese, even coffee. These variations can be delicious, but we found the definitive version in Bern, at Restaurant Della Casa—golden, impeccable, ideal. Get the recipe for Swiss Hash Browns (Rösti) »
This muesli is a flavorful take on the original raw-cereal mixture developed in Switzerland by Maximilian Bircher-Benner in the early 20th century. Get the recipe for Muesli »
