Around the World in 18 Breakfasts

Earlier this year, my food-loving 4 year-old and I embarked on a virtual culinary tour of the world. Our mission: to get Around the World in 18 Breakfasts.

The idea was that we’d sample traditional morning meals from every corner of the globe and learn a little about the Big Wide World along the way. We bought a map of the world and some toothpick flags. Each week we’d pick a dish, find the relevant flag and put a star sticker on our map.

Eighteen breakfasts, 18 flags and 18 stickers later, our mission is complete. We made a lot of yummy food and a bucketload of mess. We got flour on the walls and egg on the floor. We made the odd dud dish and had to try again. But we had a whole lotta fun in the process.

There was no destination. It was about the journey.

Here is our itinerary, brought to you in pictures (click on the links for the recipes)…

Week 1: Japan – Tamagoyaki

Tamagoyaki

Rolled-up egg – slightly salty, slightly sweet. Who knew omelettes could taste this good?

Week 2: Brazil – Açaí bowl

Acai bowl - fun food for kids

Fruit smoothie in a bowl. Healthy, easy and yummy – the Fun Food trifecta!

Week 3: USA – Warm custard spoon bread

Warm spoon bread - USA - branded

A deep south delicacy – a little bit time-consuming but worth the wait.

Week 4: Mexico – Huevos rancheros

Huevos rancheros - Fun Food For Kids

A must-try for anyone who likes their Mexican food.

Week 5: Lebanon – Manakish with labneh

Lebanese breakfasts - manakish zaatar and labneh

Labneh, a yoghurt-based cheese, perfectly complements this tasty flatbread.

Week 6: Indonesia – Nasi goreng

Nasi goreng - breakfast around the world - Indonesia

A good way to use up leftover rice (and get some veggies into the kids’ breakfast)!

Week 7: Sri Lanka – Coconut roti

coconut roti - Sri Lanka

Fresh coconut turns this damper-like roti into something amazing.

Week 8: Switzerland – Bircher muesli

Swiss Bircher muesli recipe

Nutty, fruity goodness in a recipe originally created by a Swiss doctor – how could you go wrong?

Week 9: Ukraine – Syrniki

syrniki cheese fritters

Light, fluffy pillows of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness topped with berries and sour cream.

Week 10: Spain – Potato and chorizo tortilla

potato and chorizo tortilla

This Spanish tapas favourite doubles as a hearty breakfast.

Week 11: China – Pork and prawn dumplings

Pork and prawn dumplings

These don’t feature in YUM-cha for nothing!

Week 12: Thailand – Coconut sticky rice with mango

mango coconut sticky rice

Coconut milk and mangoes – a match made in heaven.

Week 13: Canada – Pancakes with maple syrup and bacon

Canadian pancakes

An interesting flavour combo – and a huge hit with the kids!

Week 14: Peru – Quinoa porridge

Quinoa porridge

Cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and honey make this a sweet, spicy variation on traditional porridge.

Week 15: Sweden – Swedish fruit loaf

Swedish fruit loaf

Fruity with a touch of sour, this healthy loaf uses no sugar or butter.

Week 16: Jamaica – Fried bananas

Fried bananas

Not exactly Heart Foundation tick-worthy, but definitely yummy!

Week 17: South Africa – Mealie bread

South African Mealie bread

Real chunks of corn give this bread lots of texture and taste.

Week 18: Finland – Korvapuusti (cinnamon rolls)

korvapuusti - cinnamon rolls

A fitting finale – there were definitely no leftovers…

Come and join us on the journey!
Our Around the World in 18 Breakfasts adventure may be over but there’s plenty more to come. Subscribe to our blog or follow us on Facebook or Pinterest to be part of the fun!

2 thoughts on “Around the World in 18 Breakfasts

    • Absolutely! Both of those were big hits with Crackers. I think his favourite was probably the Brazlian Acai Bowl though. Mine was the syrniki. Took us a couple of attempts to get it right (the first recipe used cottage cheese and it was lumpy and horrible) but the second version was insanely good. We used a Russian cheese but you could easily make it with deli-style ricotta. Mmmmmmm…

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