12 Unique Breakfast Foods Around The World

While it may be tempting to reach for go-to breakfast staples when doing your shopping — nothing wrong with repetition when you can experiment with toppings on your cereal each day of the week — there is such a thing as too much. Whether you're open to something new or your morning cup of coffee just isn't cutting it anymore, taking inspiration from around the world is the ticket to a more fulfilling brekkie. No matter where you go in the world, the diversity in breakfast dishes can be a reminder of how vast the world is and how exciting breakfast can be.

Breakfast dishes served in different countries change depending on what is in season, what the weather calls for, traditional recipes, and cooking techniques, not to mention the stories of migration and preservation that accompany these meals. Culinary habits shared make the dining experience more fun, whether you travel to foodie capitals to get a taste or you try your best to recreate these global dishes from the comfort of your home. Whether it's a warm, creamy soup in Morocco or a hearty plate of fruit made savory with fish in Jamaica, there are several exciting dishes to take notes from around the world.

Waakye is a popular dish in Ghana consisting of rice and beans cooked together in the same pot. The beans are simple and savory but extremely flavorful thanks to sorghum leaves. These leaves are also responsible for the deep reddish color of the beans. Waakye is sometimes paired with other Ghanaian classics such as meat or fish, fried plantains, gari (fried, ground, and fermented cassava), talia (spaghetti), or waakye stew.

Menemen, Turkey's version of scrambled eggs, is a highly favored one-pan traditional breakfast dish. The breakfast dish is loved for its flavorful but simple ingredients. Eggs, tomatoes, peppers, and onions come together for a perfectly fluffy dish that most enjoy so much they eat it long after breakfast hours have passed.

Pho is Vietnam's favorite breakfast dish. It consists of rice noodles, bone broth, beef or chicken slices, and herbs such as green onions and ginger. Some top their bowl of Pho with mint leaves, Thai basil, lime wedges, and even hot sauce to spice up the morning. Pho is loved for its simple goodness, but the secret to an even more flavorful start to the day truly lies in the cut of beef used.

Mexican food never fails to disappoint the corn-lovers of the world. Chilaquiles is a breakfast dish that uses corn tortilla chips saturated in red sauce (salsa rojo) or green sauce (salsa verde). The crispy tortilla chips are cooked in the sauce and enjoyed in various ways in different regions of Mexico. They're typically topped with cheese, Mexican crema, radishes, onions, shredded meat, and a side of guacamole (here's a tip to make the most impressive guacamole in a pinch).

This breakfast of choice (sometimes considered a lunch or dinnertime meal) in the Southern United States consists of creamy grits (a savory corn-based porridge), bacon, and succulent shrimps placed on top. The thing about shrimp and grits is that the buttery, saucy base and crispy shrimp catapults you into comfort food mode before the day has properly begun — which might explain the South's warm and hospitable reputation.

While the Full English breakfast plate tends to divide people, this classic breakfast found across the UK and Ireland is sure to unite egg-lovers. The soft-boiled eggs, a cross between poached and hard-boiled eggs, are used as a dip for thinly sliced toast. Once you line up your perfectly buttered "soldiers," dip them in the runny yolk until you're satisfied.

Soup lovers are in their element in Morocco, where they can start the day with a warm split pea soup. Bissara is traditionally served in northern regions and known to fend off colds and warm you up in the chillier months. Tear into some fresh bread and set out a plate of olives and Moroccan jben cheese for the full experience.

The national dish of Jamaica is a breakfast that includes a blend of sweet and savory in true tropical style. Ackee is a fruit that is typically fried with salt cured cod, tomatoes, and onions. It's often served with flour dumplings, avocado, greens such as okra or callaloo, and boiled or fried ripe plantains. Jamaican cuisine is renowned for being highly seasoned, so expect such flavors as scotch bonnet, thyme, green onions, ginger, and garlic to feature in this colorful dish.

If porridge is your ideal breakfast to start the day feeling full, Kenya's breakfast tradition might bring joy to your morning. Ugali is a kind of thick cornmeal porridge made from ground corn, sorghum, or finger millet. Unlike porridge recipes that are typically sweetened, ugali is often eaten with savory sides such as cooked leafy greens (called moroho in Kenya), beans, eggs, or beef curry stew.

In Japan, one of the best foods to eat at the beginning of the day is onigiri. It's described as rice balls that include a filling. Typical fillings include tuna, salmon, cheese okaka, or pickled plums. You can find onigiri with single fillings or with mixed fillings. Some even enjoy this breakfast option with a good bowl of miso soup, a trusted breakfast companion.

If nothing else, an arepa in the morning is bound to make you smile. Venezuelan breakfast arepas Andinas are made from wheat flour rather than corn and offer a toasty taste. They are best enjoyed hot off the budare (the Venezuelan griddle) and eaten with a generous slab of butter or cheese, which melts in the sliced inside of the warm baked good.

Cheese-filled, bready breakfasts are usually crowd-pleasers, and Georgia's khachapuri doesn't hold back. Khachapuri is often thought of as a cheese boat since that's what its shape resembles (in line with its history as a dish served to returning sailors). The breakfast meal is made from a pizza-like crust that's torn off to dip into — and truly enjoy — the mixture of cheeses and runny egg yolks in the center.