Breakfast, as you have heard many times before, is the most important meal of the day. It’s a break, ritual, and often the least pretentious expression of the place’s culture. While travelling, the way people wake up in the morning tells you more about the way they live than the guidebook ever will. Whether the silent clinking of the porcelain mug in Italy or the smell of the blending spice in India, breakfast rites impress themselves after the journey is finished.
Italy: quick espresso and sweet beginnings
Mornings in Italy don’t often start with a big plate. Instead, you will find locals standing against the bar counter, hastily consuming the espresso prior to facing the day at work. The combination is typically humble, a flaky cornetto, at times filled with cream or jam – or maybe a maritozzo if you’re eating in Rome. It’s speedy, communal, and near-constantly standing nature.
France: pastry layers and small talk
Step into a French café in the morning, and you will see things are moving at a slow pace. A golden, flaky croissant sits alongside a cup of café au lait. Colleagues or friends may take a few minutes before they walk into their day. It’s all about the manner in which the conversation hangs in the air and how something so elemental is an event. The bite is infused with the security of tradition.
Photo by Joseph Kim
India: spice, warmth, and sharing
Go east, and mornings are infused with spices. In South India, thin, soft pancake-like bread called dosa will often be accompanied by heaps of spicy and tangy chutneys and sambar. Family members will congregate around the table and share food and talk, the warmth of chai permeating the air with scent. No solitary breakfast here.
Japan: balance and precision
A Japanese breakfast is as much a reminder that mornings can be both nourishing and attentive as they are delicious. Rice, barbecued fish, miso soup, and pickled vegetables arrive in little, nicely calibrated portions. Each component is considered, with the result being a serene beginning to the day. For a more modern take, sip a matcha latte and get a feel of Japan!
Photo by Mizuno K
Mexico: strong flavours
Mexico offers zest and colour from the outset. Huevos rancheros, or eggs that are fried and topped over tortillas with salsa, is a favourite that is usually accompanied by beans and avocado. Mexican breakfast is bright, spirited, and overflowing with flavours. It is the prelude to a day that’s there to be lived with vitality.
Why rituals matter when you travel
Every culture has its own unique way of getting its day started, and they’re more special in how you end up recalling the place than the sights themselves would be. When you travel, if you keep the routine and allow yourself to get through the routine. And sometimes the links lead you back to what travel is all about. I’ve often found that other people’s narratives catch my eye so that I can take a look at my own, as I did when I saw Mann Travel detailing their values and what they think travel is all about.
Bringing it back home
The beauty of learning about other cultures’ breakfast is that you get to take the tradition home with you. Perhaps it’s brewing an espresso or making breakfast tacos. Perhaps it’s just slow-morning-ing over the experience of sliding into a croissant instead of grabbing something and heading out the door. These little gestures sustain the travel feeling in everyday life, and remind you that culture is something you don’t only experience when you’re abroad, but it can live within you, at your own breakfast table.
