Breakfast

Italy

A classic in Italian pastry and the symbol of the city of Pavia, torta Paradiso is a simple sponge cake variation that mainly uses the three essential cake ingredients - sugar, flour, and butter. Created by Enrico Vigoni in the early 1800s, Torta Paradiso lends itself perfectly as a dessert all on its own, or to various tasty fillings like creams, custards, or spreads. The unmistakable softness, fragrance, and sweetness also make it a popular choice for a breakfast treat - accompanied by espresso, milk or tea.

Torta Paradiso

Tosilog is a traditional dish originating from the Philippines, consisting of garlic fried rice, fried eggs, and tocino (pork that's been cured in salt, garlic, sugar, and spices). The cured pork is boiled in a bit of water, then fried in oil and arranged on a plate with garlic fried rice and sunny-side-up fried eggs. The dish is traditionally served hot for breakfast, and it's accompanied by a spicy vinegar dip. The name of the dish contains all three components: tocino (to), sinagang fried rice (si), and itlog fried eggs (log).

Tosilog

Canada

Touton is a small pancake made by frying bread dough in pork fat, butter, or both. It is a staple of Newfoundland cuisine that is traditionally served for breakfast, either with fruit jam or molasses. Due to their bread-like texture, toutons can also be topped with savory ingredients, or split and used as a sandwich base.

Touton

Tube rice pudding is a Taiwanese specialty consisting of a stir-fried sticky rice mixture that is seasoned and steamed in a bamboo tube. Due to the steaming process in a tube, the rice pudding obtains a cylindrical shape, hence the name. Apart from the sticky rice, the dish usually contains Chinese mushrooms, pork, shallots, and eggs. A typical sweet and spicy sauce traditionally complements this authentic rice pudding. More commonly cooked in iron cups these days, this rice dish is available with different flavorings in different parts across Taiwan and is usually eaten for breakfast.

Tube Rice Pudding

Slovenia

Ubrnjenik or obrnenk or ubrnenk are traditional Slovenian dumplings originating from the Upper Savinja Valley region. The dumplings are made from roasted wheat, buckwheat (most commonly), or corn flour and boiling salted milk. Cream and butter are added for better consistency and flavor, and the mixture is then shaped into balls that are served warm or cold. Ubrnjenik is often accompanied with sour milk, yogurt, or a cup of coffee on the side. The dish is quite heavy, and in the past it was prepared for the farmers' breakfast, before they started a day of hard work in the fields. The farmers also used to wrap ubrnjenik in horseradish leaves and eat the dumplings for lunch.

Ubrnjenik

Australia

This traditional Micronesian dish consists of mashed or pounded bananas that are combined with coconut milk. Uht sukusuk, meaning mashed bananas, is typically covered in coconut milk, and is often prepared and served on palm leaves.

Uht sukusuk

Uitmsijter spek en kaas denotes a typical way of preparing eggs in the Netherlands. The bacon is first placed in a buttered pan, then come the sunny-side-up fried eggs, topped with Gouda cheese until it melts. The dish is seasoned with salt and pepper, and the whole thing is placed on slices of bread. It makes for a filling breakfast or lunch and it is regularly served at numerous Dutch caf&eacute;s and canteens.

Uitsmijter spek en kaas

Considered to be the ultimate breakfast food, Ulster fry is Northern Ireland's favorite dish consisting of sausages, streaky bacon, eggs and tomatoes, with the addition of griddle-baked soda farls (quarters) and potato bread, fried until golden crispy on the exterior, and tenderly fluffy on the interior. Although cooked breakfast first became popular in the Victorian period, Ulster fry owes its existence to the tourism 'boom' on the British Isles in the 1960s. Today, it is the single dish that is the most closely associated with Northern Ireland. The Fry must not contain anything that cannot be fried in bacon fat, and there is a heated debate about what can and cannot be included in the dish. Black pudding, mushrooms and chips are all ruled out, but tolerated by traditionalists, while hash browns are considered a heresy if found on an Ulster fry plate. This hearty breakfast is best accompanied by a cup of hot tea or whiskey-spiked Irish coffee.

Ulster Fry

India

Upma is a wholesome Indian dish made with dry semolina, cooked into a thick porridge. Traditionally served hot for breakfast, its taste is slightly bland, so various nuts, beans, and spices such as turmeric and chiles are commonly added to the dish in order to improve its flavors. Upma originated in South India, but gained popularity over the years, and is now commonly found throughout the country. It is said that no upma is the same, since every South Indian cook will make it differently, and there are numerous variations of the dish, such as upmas prepared with grated coconut instead of onions, or upmas with corn and milk.

Upma

Visually similar to a pizza, uttapam is a South Indian dish consisting of a batter (based on rice and lentils) that is fried and topped with chopped vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, carrots, and chiles. There is also a version of the dish called mini uttapam, usually served in four pieces per portion, with variable toppings and a number of side dishes. Traditionally, uttapam is accompanied by sambhar on the side - a rich lentil curry with the addition of onions, coconut, and eggplant.

Uttapam

Vakalavalava is a Fijian dessert made with grated fresh cassava, shredded coconut, sugar, and butter. The sweet cassava mixture is baked in a pan, and it can optionally be topped with sweetened condensed milk, custards, creams, or syrups. This cassava-based dessert is often enriched with mashed bananas or coconut milk. Often referred to as cassava cake, this dessert is typically reserved for afternoon and evening tea, but it can also be eaten for breakfast. Vakalavalava is considered a take on vakalolo, a steamed Fijian pudding, both of which are based on cassava, called tavioka in Fiji.

Vakalavalava

Vegemite on toast is an authentic Australian breakfast food, and very polarizing at that, since people either love it or hate it. However, Australians love it, as Vegemite is an ingredient that is in nine out of ten pantries in Australia. It all began in 1922 when the Fred Walker Company (known today as Kraft Food Company) employed a chemist to invent a new spread from one particular ingredient that is rich in Vitamin B. He called it Vegemite, a spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, spices, and vegetable additives. Its texture is thick, gluey and dense, similar to peanut butter, while its color is dark red to brown, almost black. The taste is an acquired one, as Vegemite is extremely salty. For Vegemite on toast, slices of white bread need to be hot and toasted. After that, butter is generously smeared on the hot toast, which allows the butter to melt. It is not recommended to spread Vegemite in large amounts, like peanut butter or fruit jams. It needs to be spread over toast and butter in a fine, thin layer that you can see through, since it accentuates the flavours that are already present. It adds a bit of depth, savoriness, and richness to plain buttered toast, which is probably the reason why it is so beloved by the Australians and commonly found in Aussie travellers' backpacks, as a tiny reminder of home.

Vegemite on toast

Vegetarian bee hoon is a hawker-style Singaporean dish that combines bee hoon noodles (rice vermicelli) and a mixture of stir-fried vegetables. Typical vegetables include cabbage, carrots, french beans, baby bok choy, and bean sprouts. Other common ingredients used in this dish include shiitake mushrooms, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and (optionally) garlic and ginger. The combination is usually simmered in vegetable stock until the ingredients soak up the liquid. Some versions have a more soupy consistency, in which case the noodles can be served either with the sauce poured over them or on the side. Pieces of crispy fried mock goose or mock chicken, fried shallots, spring onions, pickled green chilis, and a sweet hot chili sauce usually accompany the vegetarian bee hoon, and it is also commonly enjoyed as a breakfast.

Vegetarian bee hoon

Ven Pongal is a savory Tamil dish made with rice and moong dal (yellow split lentils). The name "ven" in Tamil means white, referring to the dish's light-colored appearance, while "pongal" means to boil over, symbolizing prosperity and abundance. Ven pongal has a soft, creamy, and slightly mushy texture, with mild flavors enriched by an aromatic tempering of black pepper, cumin, curry leaves, and ghee. The main ingredients include rice and moong dal, which are cooked together until soft, and the dish is tempered with ghee, black pepper, cumin, ginger, and cashews for added flavor. It is often served with coconut chutney and sambar, making it a wholesome and balanced meal. Ven pongal is a popular breakfast dish in South India and Sri Lanka, served in homes, temples, and restaurants. During the Pongal festival, it is also part of traditional celebrations, though the sweeter sakkarai pongal is the star dish for the festival.

Ven pongal

Vispipuuro, russedessert, klappgr&ouml;t, debesmanna, or mannavaht are different names for a creamy Baltic semolina porridge that is prepared with fresh fruit such as tart lingonberries, cranberries, or red currants. When cooked, the thick porridge is whipped until it transforms into a unique treat with a frothy and light consistency. It is traditionally topped with cream or milk and garnished with fresh fruit. Found across Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Norway and Latvia, this dish is usually enjoyed as a sweet breakfast, a light midday snack, or a refreshing dessert.

Vispipuuro

Ghana

Although it originated in northern parts of Ghana, the rice-and-bean-based dish known as waakye is today consumed on a national level. Whether it's eaten for breakfast or lunch, this dish can be made as rich and as filling as one likes by adding an almost unending list of accompaniments. The most typical ones include fried plantains, the spaghetti-like talia, a black pepper sauce called shito, boiled eggs, avocados, a tomato-based soup which contains meat, and gari foto &mdash; a mashed sauce made with finely grated cassava. This versatile dish is a favorite street food and comes served on a large waakye leaf.

Waakye

Germany

Weisswurst or white sausage is a famous specialty of the city of Munich, invented in 1857 by a butcher named Sepp Moser. He was working in a restaurant next to his butcher's shop and had used the last of thick sausage skins used to make regular sausages. To solve the problem, he opted for thin skins. As he made the sausage, he was worried that it would burst open during the frying process, so he put them in hot water and cooked them for 10 minutes. After serving the cooked sausages to the guests, the new dish was praised, and Weisswurst was born. The sausages consist of a mixture of pork, veal, and pork fat, seasoned with parsley, pepper, lemon, and salt. Today, the sausages are most popular in southern Germany, and they are one of the most consumed items at Oktoberfest. In restaurants, Weisswurst is always served hot, usually accompanied by pretzels and, ideally, H&auml;ndlmaier's Hausmacher Senf, although it can be served with other Bavarian sweet mustard varieties if the original H&auml;ndlmeier brand is unavailable. The sausage casing is not intended for consumption, so the sausages are often sliced along their length, and the casing is peeled. Interestingly, it is considered a taboo to eat Weisswurst after noon in Bavaria. This tradition stems from the past when the sausages were made fresh, and were supposed to be consumed as quickly as possible.

Weißwürste

Wentelteefjes is a Dutch delicacy that is usually prepared and served for breakfast, consisting of bread slices that are dipped in a combination of milk, eggs, and cinnamon, then baked in butter on both sides until they develop a crispy texture. The bread slices are then sprinkled with sugar or drizzled with honey. Easy to prepare and flavorful, this great way of using up leftover bread will put a smile on every child's face in the Netherlands.

Wentelteefjes

White pudding is a traditional dish consisting of oatmeal, bread, pork meat, fat, and suet. In Ireland, the ingredients are stuffed into a sausage casing, but in Scotland it is not always the case, and the pudding is additionally flavored with onions and spices. The sausage is often sliced and fried or grilled, and it is usually used as an important part of the traditional full Irish breakfast.

White Pudding

Ireland

Wicklow pancake is a traditional dish originating from County Wicklow. Despite the name, it's more of an omelet or frittata than a pancake, and it's usually made with a combination of eggs, milk, heavy cream, breadcrumbs, scallions, parsley, thyme, butter, salt, and pepper. Everything except the butter is mixed together, and the mixture is then cooked in butter over medium-low heat in a skillet. Once the bottom becomes brown, the skillet is placed in the oven and the dish is baked until slightly puffy and the top browns. Wicklow pancake is garnished with parsley leaves, cut into wedges, and served with a dab of butter on top of each wedge. It's believed that the dish was first made in the early 20th century.