(alarm sounding)

- I'm Beryl.

And this week we're looking at breakfasts.

Let's go.

Breakfast wasn't always such a beloved meal.

In fact, in the middle ages in Europe,

it was considered an affront to God

to eat so early on in the day.

But then, in the 1600s, coffee and tea arrived in Europe

and things began to change.

Coffee smells so good.

(egg sizzling)

Then came the Industrial Revolution

and people needed an actual full meal in the morning

to get them through a big day of labor.

I broke the yolk.

Whatever.

Kellogg and Post then came onto the scene.

Toasters were invented.

Waffle irons were invented.

Breakfast became a huge thing, quickly.

Oh.

(Beryl laughs)

Hi buddy.

Oh my god, he can't have my breakfast.

Yeah.

To be fair, that history lesson

was really just about the US and Europe.

But around the world breakfast is important.

And the foods vary wildly country to country.

And personally, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day,

so I really wanted to make this episode.

I got to speak to seven people in seven countries

to see what breakfast was like around the world.

So this is the breakfast episode.

In making this episode I decided two things.

One, I love eggs, but I'm not looking at egg-led breakfasts.

So no omelets, or frittatas, or quiches.

That was my choice.

And two, I'm looking at breakfast to redefine

my narrow Western scope of what breakfast is.

Before we begin, I wanna say this,

I know that seven is a paltry number.

It really doesn't do justice to the amazing diversity

of breakfast foods around the world.

So I'm hoping that maybe the comment section

can look a bit like a breakfast menu.

Let me know what breakfast is like where you live.

And if you know an amazing recipe, leave it,

because I love cooking and I will totally try.

Okay.

I hope you guys enjoy the video.

Let's do it.

(dynamic music)

- [Aneri] Breakfast is a savory meal

where I live in Bharuch.

And we can make it more spicy if you like it

and less spicy if you don't like it.

- [Darius] We could eat grits in the South

just about every day.

It is a very popular breakfast food.

(Thuy speaking a foreign language)

(Daw speaking a foreign language)

(Stephen speaking a foreign language)

(Bedriye speaking a foreign language)

(Naji speaking in a foreign language)

- [Beryl] We're gonna begin in Vietnam

because this breakfast soup really challenged me

to rethink about what a breakfast food is.

We're beginning with eel soup.

(upbeat music)

(Thuy speaking a foreign language)

In Kenya, breakfast can be a simple affair,

but their versions of fried dough look way better

than anything I've tried here in New York.

(upbeat music)

(Stephen speaking a foreign language)

I believe that cheese is always a great idea for breakfast.

And then I found this dish from Turkey and I just...

We had to film it.

(dynamic music)

(Bedriye speaking a foreign language)

Breakfast in the US has serious range,

but it is way more than waffles and pancakes.

And in the South they do it right.

(dynamic music)

- Breakfast is a very important meal of the day.

However, when it comes to having grits,

it's typically something that you might see

happening more often on the weekend.

My name is Darius Williams and I live in Atlanta, Georgia.

A typical breakfast in the South includes fish and grits.

Although you can get grits pretty much all over the country,

they're very, very popular in lots of southern states

simply because grits come from the Native Americans,

and we sort of have adopted them in the South.

I learned how to make grits from watching my grandmother.

I would just literally sit in awe and watch her

as she caressed that pot of grits

into the creamy delicacy that it is.

For catfish and grits we're gonna take catfish filets.

And they're gonna get soaked in buttermilk

and then deep fried until

they're golden brown and delicious.

We're gonna put that on top of

some amazing, creamy, wonderful grits.

We're gonna do a little bit of tomato right on top.

'Cause what else is Southern besides tomato,

catfish and grits with a little bit of cream.

It is to die for.

The most difficult part about making grits

is getting it to be the right consistency.

You can't rush it.

This is a thing of love.

When I think about what happens over a pot of grits,

it is hearing the laughter and the conversation

between all of our families sort of connecting

and spending time with each other.

I firmly believe that food and cooking

is the way to connect with your family.

- [Beryl] India has a lot of amazing dishes,

but the steamed ones from the south of the country

caught my eye.

(dynamic music)

- I'm making dhokla and patra today.

This breakfast is typical in my country.

My name is Aneri Chavan.

I live in Bharuch, India.

Dhokla is fermented rice and urad dal.

Patra is colocasia leaves,

which are coated with gram flour.

And it is steamed and also fried.

Dhokla is milder and patra is a spicier thing.

It takes eight to nine hours to make dhokla.

The most difficult part is the fermenting part.

When you have to mix it in the mixer,

the batter should have the desired consistency.

To achieve that, it is a bit difficult.

Patra's difficult part is coating them

with the gram flour,

and just binding them and folding them.

Any chance the fold gets open, then it of no fun.

Breakfast in my house is a sitting-down affair.

My son, my husband, we three have breakfast

in the morning together only, before leaving for the job.

These dishes are quite steamed and healthy,

so I liked them the most.

It gives you a lot of mileage to work for the entire day.

- [Beryl] Some have called this next breakfast from Lebanon

pizza-like, and I'm not sure that's the best description,

however, damn if it is not amazing.

(upbeat music)

(Naji speaking a foreign language)

The final breakfast dish is another soup.

This one is from Myanmar, and it has so many flavors

that it feels like the perfect dish

to set yourself up for the day.

(upbeat music)

(Daw speaking a foreign language)

I know that people always say

breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it is,

but I don't think that we really execute on that.

I think a lot of times we're in a rush,

and we're kind of running out the door,

and breakfast is kind of an afterthought.

But I also know that on those days

when I do sit down, and I do eat a good meal,

and I eat it with somebody that I care about,

my family or my friends,

I feel like my day is better.

You have this moment where you're sharing a meal,

it's the first meal of your day,

and kind of the day is full of possibilities.

And sharing that with somebody before everything gets going,

kind of sets you up for a better day.

You know?

I know.

(Bedriye speaking a foreign language)

- Cooking always makes the family unite together.

My husband, my child, they always help me while cooking.

So it is absolutely a family affair for us.

(Naji speaking a foreign language)

(Stephen speaking a foreign language)

(Thuy speaking a foreign language)

(Daw speaking a foreign language)

- I like grits because they just taste good.

And it is also a tradition.

So everytime you're eating a bowl of grits,

you are reliving this tradition,

this sort of practice that you had as a family.

And it brings you back to those moments

that sometimes we just don't have

enough opportunity to connect with.

(chimes sounding)