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The first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning.
To eat breakfast: We breakfasted on the terrace.
v.tr.To provide breakfast for.
[Middle English brekfast : breken, to break; see break + faste, a fast (from Old Norse fasta, to fast).]
breakfaster break'fast·er n.Breakfast is regarded by many nutritionists as the most important meal of the day, yet it is the one meal that many dieters and exercisers miss: dieters, because they believe that by missing it they can reduce calorific intake and lose weight; exercisers, because their early morning routines often leave them little time to eat. However, food consumed at breakfast seems to be more easily utilized than the same amount eaten at night. In one study, subjects who needed about 2000 Calories per day to maintain body weight, lost weight when the calories were eaten in one morning meal, and gained weight if they ate the same amount at night.
Clearly, to be of any real value, breakfast must be nutritious. Breakfasts vary according to the culture of the country. In Britain and the USA breakfasts often include complex carbohydrates which contain fibre, proteins, minerals, and vitamins, and provide a steady stream of glucose. Equally nutritious breakfasts are provided by salads and soups in Japan, or fish and bread in Norway. There seems to be sound sense in the old adage ‘breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper’.
Breakfast, the first meal of the day, can mean many things to many different people. The English term comes from a Middle English word meaning 'breaking the fast'. Any meal that breaks the overnight fast that occurs while we sleep is considered "breakfast."
Breakfast Throughout History
From archaeological evidence at Neolithic sites we know that there was an early reliance on cereal grains; what people consume at breakfast, however, has changed considerably over time and place. Wild emmer and einkorn wheats and a variety of barley were first gathered and then cultivated in the Middle East around 7000 B.C.E. (McGee, p. 233). Maize (corn) was grown in South America and rice in Asia starting around 4500 B.C.E., and rye and oats were cultivated in Europe from about 400 B.C.E. Neolithic peoples used stone querns to grind the hulled grains, then boiled them to make a kind of porridge.
Roman soldiers woke up to a breakfast of pulmentus, a porridge similar to the Italian polenta, made from roasted spelt wheat or barley that was then pounded and cooked in a cauldron of water. On the march, they ate bucellatum, dried bread similar to Holland rusk (Renfrew, p. 22). People in the Middle East made and grilled flatbreads of all kinds, perhaps accompanied by green onions or another easily cultivated vegetable and a soft cheese, a tradition that carries through to the present time.
When other types of wheat were introduced throughout the Middle East and Europe, higher-rising breads could be baked. Only the wealthy could afford wheat bread because the cultivation of wheat required the most fertile lands. Oats and barley could grow in poorer soils and a colder, wetter climate and provided the basis for heavy breads that peasants ate. Barley was also used to make malt and thus to brew beer from Neolithic times onwards. Water was regarded as unsafe to drink from ancient times through the Renaissance, so beer was the beverage of choice for breakfast. People living in what is now Europe broke their fast with a mug of beer and an oat-cake, a heavy bread made from barley and oats, or a bowl of porridge.
In warmer climates, rice became a breakfast staple. In Hong Kong, chicken congee, or rice cooked in a rich chicken stock, has been eaten with tea for breakfast for centuries. Likewise in southern India, rice is cooked with fresh ginger, chilies, and spices and served with eggs cooked in ghee or clarified butter.
In South America, maize kernels were soaked in lime to remove the hulls and then ground into a moist masa to make corn tortillas—the flatbreads of South America. These are still served with eggs, salsa, refried beans, plantains, avocados, and spiced pumpkin seeds or pepitas and other accompaniments for breakfast.
By the end of the 1600s, breakfast throughout most of Europe and the American colonies was a simple affair similar to the current "continental breakfast" offered in hotels in America and Europe. Less affluent households still drank beer for breakfast with their bread or porridge, but wealthier households began to include coffee or tea. Bread and butter, a selection of cold meats, perhaps porridge on a cold day, and coffee, tea, or another hot beverage was the breakfast norm by the early 1800s. In 1821, English writer William Cobbett complained in Cottage Economy that "The drink, which has come to supply the place of beer, has, in general, been tea. It is notorious, that tea has no useful strength in it; that it contains nothing nutritious; that it, besides being food for nothing, has badness in it, because it is well-known to produce want of sleep in many cases, and in all cases, to shake and weaken the nerves." England imported 20,000 pounds of tea in 1700 and 20 million pounds by 1800.
Arabs in Ethiopia had been cultivating coffee beans and making the dark, rich beverage since 1000 C.E. Coffee traveled to Turkey, then, by the 1500s, to Venice as part of the spice trade, where it was discovered by the English. Enterprising planters smuggled coffee beans to create plantations in the East Indies and later in South America. By the mid-1650s, coffee was the main attraction at cafés, named after the French word for coffee, in London and Paris. Today, coffee and tea remain breakfast fixtures all over the world.
By Victorian times, when abundance was enjoyed by Americans as well as the British at the height of the British Empire, breakfast was a lavish affair, whether served at a table in a farm kitchen or in an elegant city dining room. Cookbooks from the period provide insight into the breakfast served by affluent households. In the 1861 Book of Household Management, Isabella Beeton suggested a daily breakfast buffet that included a cold joint of meat, game pies, broiled mackerel, sausages, bacon and eggs, muffins, toast, marmalade, butter, jam, coffee, and tea.
In the 1877 Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, the anonymous American compilers suggested breakfast menus for every season. In spring, they recommended fried brook trout, eggs on toast, baked beans and Boston brown bread, rice waffles, coffee, tea, and milk. In summer, the menu included fresh Nutmeg melons, fried fish, Saratoga potatoes, and sliced tomatoes. The fall menu called for oatmeal mush, fried salt pork, corn oysters, baked potatoes, and stewed peaches. In winter, the recommendation was for pork tenderloin, fried apples, buckwheat cakes with syrup, and sliced oranges.
During the nineteenth century, cooks also made breakfast dishes that were a combination of cereals and meats. Scrapple, a blend of pork and cooked cornmeal mush, is sliced and fried for breakfast in Pennsylvania. In Cincinnati, breakfasters still love goetta (pronounced "get-uh"), a savory blend of cooked whole oats with pork and onions, also sliced and fried. At this same time, there was a movement against these lavish eating habits, which resulted in the birth of the breakfast cereals we are familiar with today. On 25 December 1865, Ellen White had a vision at her home in Battle Creek, Michigan. She saw the ailing members of her husband Elder James White's congregation returned to blooming health and was convinced that a better diet consisting of more whole grains and fiber was the missing component. And since Battle Creek was the national headquarters for the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Whites' religious affiliation, she wanted all Seventh-Day Adventists to be restored to health. She persuaded her husband to offer a medical scholarship to John Harvey Kellogg, who then set about studying nutrition in New York City.
As a student who wanted a healthier diet, Kellogg cooked for himself and knew how long it took to first soak and then cook whole or cracked grains. He wanted an easier way to eat a nutritious breakfast, and the idea of precooked cereals came to him. However, it took two years of trial and error before he introduced the first ready-made cereal—"Granola," as he called it—to the patients at the Seventh-Day Adventist health sanitarium in Battle Creek. Soon to follow were Grape-Nuts, so named because they were sweetened with dextrose or grape sugar and the product had a nutty flavor, in 1898; they were developed by Dr. Kellogg and his brother Will. Corn flakes flavored with malted barley debuted in 1902. Alexander P. Anderson of the Quaker Oats Company developed the technology for puffed cereals, and puffed rice was introduced to the American consumer at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Today, 66 percent of Americans still eat cold cereal for breakfast (Perryman). Even those who skip breakfast still might drink a glass of orange juice, another breakfast staple.
Breakfast Around the World
Americans also enjoy other types of breakfast foods, some more healthy than others. In addition to fruit juices, particularly orange juice, pancakes, biscuits, eggs, bacon, sausages, and other breakfast meats, Americans also consume hash brown potatoes and breakfast pastries such as coffee cakes, donuts, and muffins. About 7 percent of Americans enjoy a Southern-style breakfast with eggs, sausage, grits, and biscuits. On-the-go breakfasters—now about 68 percent of the population—might stop at a fast-food restaurant for a cup of coffee, a breakfast sandwich, a bagel, or a doughnut. Fast-food restaurants have expanded their breakfast offerings while the number of bagel emporiums and coffee shops has greatly increased to meet the growing needs of these breakfasters on the way to work or school. Health-conscious eaters favor breakfast cereal bars, plain bagels, yogurt, and herbal tea or fresh-squeezed carrot juice, and have prompted this segment of the prepared foods market to burgeon (Lach). About 32 percent of Americans currently eat toast for breakfast.
Unlike the sit-down family breakfast of the past, the early-twenty-first century American breakfast is eaten at different times before parents and their children leave for work and school. This trend also fuels the need for easy-to-eat breakfast items such as breakfast bars, yogurt, cereals, toaster pastries, and microwavable frozen breakfast entrees.
In England, the typical English breakfast or "full fryup" includes fruit juice, a bowl of cereal, eggs with fried streaky bacon or sausages, sometimes grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, perhaps a kipper or other smoked fish, fried bread or toast or scones, and marmalade. In France, a croissant or a baguette with fresh butter and a cup of café au lait (coffee with milk) is common. Italians enjoy a light breakfast of pastry or bread and butter with coffee, while the Germans, Swiss, Dutch, and Scandinavians prefer a breakfast of cold sliced meats and cheeses, bread and butter, jam, and perhaps a boiled egg. Dutch and Belgian breakfasters might enjoy a touch of chocolate—as a filling in a croissant or chocolate sprinkles known as hagel over buttered toast.
In other parts of the world, breakfast is equally simple. In India, it might mean flatbread with cardamom-scented tea or steamed dumplings with a spicy sauce and coconut chutney (Sahni, p. 104). Mexicans eat huevos rancheros, or scrambled eggs with chilies and salsa, or even menudo, braised tripe, and burritos. In Saudi Arabia, families eat eggs, baked beans, cheese, olives, and ma'soub, or pancakes with bananas, but are also including American cereals.
Breakfast As a Social Ritual
Apart from the necessity of breaking the fast, the first meal of the day can also function as an important social ritual. Retired businessmen and farmers, networking men and women in management, mothers of young children, or singles often meet at a designated restaurant for an early morning breakfast. Schools, churches, and other organizations offer pancake breakfasts as fundraisers. Tailgate breakfasts served from the back of a car or van feed fans at weekend football games; hunt breakfasts served buffet-style feed those about to saddle up.
The wedding breakfast, a more formal affair, brings together the wedding party and the families for an elegant first meal to start the couple's big day—or, often, their first day as a married couple on the day after the wedding. Less hearty foods, such as champagne, smoked salmon, shirred eggs, eggs Benedict, steamed asparagus, and Danish pastries would be on a wedding breakfast menu.
Brunch, a combination of breakfast and lunch served later in the morning, is often a relaxed social occasion, most often held on Sunday in private homes or restaurants. Savory bread puddings, egg casseroles, omelets, waffles, coffee cakes, and fruit compotes are typical brunch fare. Alcoholic drinks such as Bloody Marys (vodka with spiced tomato juice), Mimosas (champagne with orange juice), or screwdrivers (vodka with orange juice) might also be served.
The Best Way to Start the Day
No matter what is on the menu, research shows that breakfast is still a very important meal. In a 1998 study of schoolchildren published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, researchers found that children who eat breakfast perform better academically and also behave better. The children who ate breakfast functioned intellectually at almost a grade level higher than those who did not, and were less likely to fall asleep at their desks or disrupt class because of hunger. The same goes for adults. Eating breakfast improves the ability to concentrate, reduces the risk of heart disease, improves weight control, and increases strength and energy. Generally, health professionals recommend that we eat a healthy breakfast consisting of protein, whole grains, and fruits that totals about one-third of our daily caloric intake (Maynard).
Bibliography
Beeton, Isabella. The Book of Household Management. London, 1861.
Black, Maggie. Food and Cooking in Medieval Britain: History andRecipes. London: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, 1985.
Brears, Peter. Food and Cooking in 17th Century Britain: History and Recipes. London: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, 1985.
Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping. Minneapolis, Minn.: Buckeye Publishing Company, 1877.
Lach, Jennifer. "What's for Breakfast?" American Demographics (May 1999).
Maynard, Cindy. "Start Your Day with a Breakfast Boost." Current Health 2, no. 26 (September 1999): 16.
McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Scribners, 1984.
Murphy, J. Michael, et al. "The Relationship of School Breakfast to Psychosocial and Academic Functioning: Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Observations in an Inner-City School Sample." Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 152 (September 1998): 899–907.
Perryman, M. Ray. "Changes in the American Palate." DallasBusiness Journal 25, 3 (31 August 2001): 55.
Renfrew, Jane. Food and Cooking in Roman Britain: History andRecipes. London: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, 1985.
Sahni, Julie. Classic Indian Vegetarian Cooking. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1987.
Stead, Jennifer. Food and Cooking in 18th Century Britain: History and Recipes. London: Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, 1985.
—Judith M. Fertig
For breakfast I love to eat cereal and drink tea.
Tutor's tip: The word "breakfast," which means to stop the fast of not eating through the night, originates from the words "break" and "fast."
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| Part of the Meals series |
| Common meals... |
| Breakfast |
| Second breakfast |
| Elevenses |
| Tiffin |
| Lunch |
| Tea |
| Dinner |
| Supper |
| Dessert |
| Snack |
| See also... |
Breakfast is the first meal of the day, typically eaten in the morning. The word derives
from the idea of breaking the involuntary fast of sleep, [1].
Traditionally breakfast is a large cooked meal eaten before work and designed to carry people through a large part of the day.
The erosion of the cooked breakfast has been an ongoing trend in the Western world since at least the early 20th century, coinciding with later waking times than when most Westerners had agricultural occupations. Today, hampered by busy morning schedules, many neglect breakfast or skip it entirely. This trend now exists in industrialized nations worldwide, where it is accompanied frequently by replacing local breakfast traditions with modern Western-style foods, often packaged or pre-made.
English: 1463, from break (v.) + fast (n.). Cf. Fr. déjeuner "to breakfast," from L. dis-jejunare "to break the fast." The verb is from 1679. The English word derives from the concept that sleep prevents eating, thus an involuntary fast occurs during sleep; this fast is broken by the first meal - called breakfast.[2]
Many nutritionists claim breakfast is a very important (although not necessarily the largest) meal, pointing to studies that have shown that people who eat breakfast tend to weigh less. Studies have shown a negative correlation between children and adolescents who usually have breakfast and these children and adolescents being overweight, despite the fact that these people generally consumed more daily calories than those who skip this meal.
In addition to the nutritional claims, there is concern that students who do not eat breakfast perform worse in school. Research has indicated that eating a meal before noon, consisting of standard breakfast-style foods is positively correlated with improved functioning of school-aged children. [3]
The earliest record of the principle that breakfast is "the most important meal of the day" was made in the book Die Verwandlung by Franz Kafka in 1915:
There is still skepticism of this mantra however. Some people say that nutritionalists are using correlation fallacy when equating breakfast with good health or good school performance. Some studies have indicated that people who go without breakfast as a diet may eat foods with higher energy concentrations (fats and sugars), which ends up being less healthy. [3] Along the same line of thinking, it has been suggested that children who do not eat breakfast may not do so because their bodies rebel against any morning activity, including breakfast and early classes. [4] Another hypothesis about breakfast is that it interrupts the body's cycle between SNS activity and PSNS activity. According to this line of thought, meals are naturally taken after activity involved in either hunting, gathering, and/or preparing the food needed and deviation from this gives the bodies stresses it has not evolved to handle. The first meal of the day ends the nightly PSNS activity (which increases the burning of fat [5]) and thus ends the intense detoxification your body goes through at night. [6]
Chinese breakfasts vary greatly between different regions. Except for Hong Kong, Western types of breakfasts or their derivatives are rarely eaten. In Northern China breakfast fare typically includes huājuǎn, mántou (steamed breads), shāobǐng (unleavened pocket-bread with sesame), bāozi (steamed buns with meat or vegetable stuffing), with Dòunǎi or dòujiāng (soy milk) or tea served in Chinese style as beverages.
In Central and Eastern China, typified by Shanghai and the neighbouring Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces breakfast fares include some Northern as well as Southern dishes. Typically breakfast consists of ci fan tuan, 由豆腐粉丝 → yóudoùfu fěnsī (a soup made by fried tofu and cellophane noodles), plain rice porridge (粥 → zhōu) served with numerous side dishes such as salted duck eggs, pickled vegetables, and century eggs, or sweetened or savoury soy milk served with shāobǐng or 油条 → yóutiáo.
In Southeastern China such as Fujian province, breakfasts consist of rice porridge served with side dishes like pickled vegetables and century eggs.
In Southern China represented by Guangdong province breakfasts include rice porridge prepared to a thicker consistency than
those sold in Shanghai and side dishes are not served. Congee is served with yóutiáo if it is plain. In many cases,
however, congee is prepared with meats or dried vegetables such as beef slices, shredded salted pork and century eggs, fish, or
slices of pig's liver and kidney and could be served with or without yóutiáo. Other breakfast fares include rice noodle
rolls (cheong fun) (served with Hoi sin sauce and soy sauce, without fillings), fried noodles (pan fried noodles with bean
sprouts, spring onions, and soy sauce), fagao (rice cakes), jiānbǐng (thin pancakes, similar to crêpes), lúobogāo (turnip cakes) and zòngzi (another kind of rice cake).
The dim sum breakfast, is a world in itself, and is often eaten as
In Taiwan, due to the influx of mainland Chinese in the aftermath of the Republic of China's retreat to Taiwan in 1949 after the end of the Chinese Civil War, breakfasts tend to be a mix of Northern and Eastern Chinese fare in addition to the traditional South eastern Chinese fare. This is more pronounced in cities with high proportions of people of mainland Chinese descent, like Taipei.
Traditional breakfasts in Hong Kong follow very closely those in Guangdong, but due to long periods of British colonial rule and the influx of substantial refugees from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai with the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949, localized interpretations of English breakfast and Eastern Chinese breakfast fare are commonly found alongside Cantonese breakfasts. In a Hong Kong cha chaan teng breakfasts could consist of milk tea, coffee, or yin-yeung served with bread, ham, and fried eggs, and a bowl of macaroni soup with ham. This local interpretation of English breakfast is regarded in both mainland China and Taiwan as uniquely Hong Kong. In upper market restaurants or hotels, however, standard English and Continental breakfasts are served.
 Kao hnyin baung with fried fish on a banana leaf |
 Ngacheik paung with pèbyouk (boiled peas) and toasted sesame |
 Nan bya with hseik-tha supyouk (mutton soup) |
 Fried chapati with mushy peas (pèbyouk) |
 Htat ta ya or flaky multilayered fried paratha |
 Mini e kya kway (youtiao) |
 Mohinga with fritters |
1.Halva Puri Cholay or Halva Puri for short which consists of two separate dishes , Halva, a sweet made from semolina , and Aloo Cholay, a spicy chick-pea and potato curry eaten with Puri, a small circular deep-fried flat bread.
2.Siri paya eaten with Naan Bread (siri paya is a stew made of cow, goat or lamb's skull and feet . Siri means the head of the animal and paya means the feet of the animal. It is considered a delicacy.)
3.Nihari.Nihari is a stew made from beef or lamb and curry. Nihari is also eaten with Naan bread.
Otherwise parathas are widely eaten for breakfast; they may be stuffed with vegetables or unstuffed eaten alongside fried eggs or some other dish. Chai is served with breakfast. In cities and urban areas, eggs and toast with butter and jam are also popular.
In New Zealand and Australia, the typical breakfast strongly resembles breakfast in other
English-speaking countries. Owing to the warm weather in some parts of Australia, breakfast is generally light. In the cold
parts, however, one might find a full English breakfast. The light breakfast consists of cereals, toast, fruit, and fruit
juices rather than cooked items. Australians also enjoy a heavy breakfast with fried bacon, egg,
mushroom, sausage, tomatoes and toast, with tea or coffee and juice (similar to the full English
breakfast). Some other typical meals include pancakes, waffles,
yogurt, bagels and sometimes hash
browns. Australia has a popular spread called Vegemite that is routinely spread on toast
for breakfast. It is similar to a popular British spread called Marmite, but has very few
followers outside of Australia and New Zealand other than
In summer, a
As a general rule, traditional breakfasts are less substantial and less elaborate in the warmer, more southern countries bordering the Mediterranean, while breakfasts are traditionally larger, with a greater variety of dishes and greater prevalence of hot dishes in the cooler northern- and central-European countries.
Hotels and other types of lodging in Europe typically include breakfast in their rates, and in many cases, especially in larger hotels, it is served as a buffet. Specific items will vary from country to country, depending on local breakfast tastes and habits. In Switzerland, for example, cold cuts (luncheon meats), cheese, yoghurt, prepared fruit, butter, croissants, breads, and rolls are served. Regardless of location, the standard requirements for a British breakfast (eggs, sausages, tomatoes (fresh, grilled or canned), bacon) are also often a part of the buffet, and can be augmented by baked beans and hash brown potatoes, a more recent acquisition from the US.
Continental breakfast is an institutional meal plan based on lighter Mediterranean breakfast traditions. It is a light meal meant to satisfy one until lunch. A typical Continental breakfast consists of coffee and milk (often mixed as Cappuccino or latte) or hot chocolate with a variety of sweet cakes such as brioche and pastries such as croissant, often with a sweet jam, cream, or chocolate filling. It is often served with juice. The continental breakfast may also include sliced cold meats, such as salami or ham, and yogurt or cereal. Some countries of Europe, such as Holland and those in Scandinavia, add a bit of fruit and cheese to the bread menu, occasionally even a boiled egg or a little salami. In Britain, a continental breakfast can include bacon, eggs, toast, a bit of broiled tomato, etc. The Continental Breakfast concept is not limited to Europe, as evidenced by the numerous hotel chains that offer this service worldwide.
Traditionally, people in Britain and Ireland have enjoyed a substantial hot meal for breakfast, featuring eggs, bacon, and sausages, accompanied by toast and tea or coffee. These items are sometimes eaten separately on morning rolls. Many other items (for example kedgeree, tomatoes, black/white pudding, baked beans, various types of fried potatoes and mushrooms) may be included depending on taste and location. Today this dish remains popular but is not usually served at breakfast time during the week. Many people instead reserve the full cooked breakfast for weekends, or go to a cafe for it on the weekends. A full breakfast is also a meal available any time at many cafes and greasy spoons. It is also served at hotels where it can be quite substantial in size and variety. Somerset Maugham once said, "The only way to eat well in England is to have breakfast three times a day"
This traditional cooked breakfast has largely been replaced by simple, light foods mainly eaten cold, for example packaged cereal with cold milk, toast with a variety of spreads such as butter, jam, marmalade, lemon curd, marmite, or peanut butter, fruit and yogurt. Porridge is also popular especially in Scotland and in the rest of Britain in the winter months. In most British hotels this breakfast is complimentary.
In Iceland, pickled fish is a popular dish, particularly pickled herring. Pancakes are also eaten.
In Eastern European countries with cold climates, such as Russia, breakfasts tend to be substantial. Zavtrak may consist of hot oatmeal or kasha, eggs, cheese, cured meats or sausage, rye breads with butter, and coffee or tea.
Yoghurt or, especially in central and eastern Europe, kefir may be consumed. In some Balkan countries such as Serbia, savory pastries known as burek are consumed with yogurt.
Latin American breakfasts feature many items seen in North American and Continental European breakfasts in regional variations, according to their own culture.
In most Arab areas, the most popular breakfast by far is pita bread dipped in rich labneh, a type of creamy curd, or in olive oil and za'atar (a common Middle-Eastern spice mix). Other popular breakfast foods in the Mashriq include boiled eggs, olives, cheese and beans.
In Iran, a non-Arab country, varieties of Iranian flatbreads (naan), Iranian feta cheese (panir-e irani), butter (kareh), a variety of traditional marmelades (morabba) or jams, honey (angebin or asal), and hot tea are essential breakfast foods. Other foods, such as heavy cream, walnuts, hard and soft boiled eggs, and omlettes are also popular for breakfast. Traditionally, a choice of butter and cheese, butter and marmelade, heavy cream and honey, butter and honey, or cheese and walnuts are rubbed on fresh bread and folded into bite-sized sandwiches and are to be consumed with hot tea. The tea is preferably sweetened with sugar. Another breakfast food, which is usually consumed between the hours of three to five in the morning, is called halim. Halim is a combination of wheat, cinammon, butter and sugar cooked with either shredded turkey or shredded lamb in huge pots. It is served hot and cold, but preferably hot.
In Egypt the traditional breakfast is ful medames: slow cooked fava beans (sometimes with lentils) dressed in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
An Israeli breakfast typically consists of coffee, orange juice, fresh vegetables salad, goats/cows cream cheese, fresh bread or toast, olives, butter, fried eggs of your choice, and some small cookies or slices of cake. For an even fuller breakfast it might include hard-boiled eggs,
