For most of us, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How we eat this meal has certainly evolved over the ages, from a simple fuel-up of milk and bread to the myriad forms it can take today.

Whether we enjoy a big, cooked breakfast or grab a quick, convenient one on the go, there are a number items which you will find on many breakfast tables around the world. We may take these things for granted today, but many have bizarre origins, and others were actually invented by mistake.

How many of these items are on your breakfast table?

10 Coffee

We all enjoy our morning cup of coffee to get us started for the day. In fact, coffee has long been the world’s favorite drink, with around 150 million bags of coffee consumed worldwide each year. You would assume that such a popular beverage was developed by an ancient civilization. However, according to legend, it was actually discovered by a herd of goats!

In the past, an Ethiopian goatherd noticed strange behavioral changes in his flock of goats. They had become more lively and active, having trouble settling at night. Following the goats one day, he found them feasting on the berries of a particular tree. The goatherd shared his story with the local abbot, who experimented with making a drink from the berries.^[1]

The abbot got such a buzz from the newly discovered beverage that it soon began to spread, becoming the world’s favorite “pick-me-up” which is found on most breakfast tables.

9 Tea Bags

A good “cuppa” tea is almost as popular as a cup of coffee. In fact, in the UK alone, 36 billion cups of tea are consumed each year. According to the UK Tea Association, 96 percent of British tea drinkers enjoy the convenience of a tea bag. So you would think the tea bag was a clever invention to improve the morning “brew.” However, the tea bag was invented entirely by mistake.

During the early 1900s, a US tea merchant was looking for a way to send samples of his tea to customers around the world, without spoiling the contents. Thomas Sullivan made small silk pouches to ship tea samples to customers around 1908. Soon, he began receiving feedback from customers that the mesh on the bags was too fine. Instead of emptying the contents into a traditional infusers as he had intended, the customers were actually placing the bag into a cup of boiling water instead.

Sullivan used their mistake to develop gauze bags, with a string and tag to hang over the edge to make it easier to remove the soggy bag. By the 1920s, tea bags were being mass-produced, making the morning cup much quicker and easier.^[2]

8 Cheese

We’ve been enjoying our cheese since long before Little Miss Muffett sat on her tuffet eating curds and whey. Cheese has been around for centuries and can be found on many meal tables around the world. We enjoy it melted on toast or on a European platter for breakfast, in sandwiches for lunch, and in a variety of dinnertime recipes.

Cheesemaking has become a refined craft in many cultures to provide us with the vast range of options we enjoy today. No one knows for sure who first created cheese. According to another legend, an ancient Arab merchant was carrying his milk in a rennet pouch on his journey across the desert. When he stopped for the night, he found his milk had curdled.

The heat of the desert had caused the milk to react with the insides of the pouch, and it had separated into the curds and whey we are familiar with today. Unperturbed, or probably very hungry and thirsty, he drank the contents and then ate the milk curds. The cheese he had mistakenly made became a worldwide favorite food.^[3]

Today, in the US alone, up to one third of milk production is for cheesemaking.

7 Margarine

A tub of margarine can be found in the middle of many breakfast tables today. Many varieties are thought to be healthier than butter, and some can often be cheaper.

Have you ever wondered how this everyday food originated? It was actually the result of a competition Napoleon III held to come up with a substitute for butter to feed the troops during the 1800s. Not only did butter spoil quickly, but it was also very expensive, making it impossible to carry on military campaigns.

In 1869, a French chemist named Hippolyte Mege-Mouries concocted a mixture of beef tallow, water, and milk. His spread was originally called “oleomargarine,” as he believed it contained oleaic and margaric acids. A Dutch company improved on the original mixture, using plant oils and a yellow dye to make it look more like butter.

Dairy producers, however, were unhappy when production of the butter substitute began in the US during the 1870s. Laws were actually passed restricting and even banning the production and sale of margarine. It wasn’t until 1967 that the last of these laws was finally repealed.^[4]

Today, you can choose from a huge range of butter alternatives to spread on your morning toast.

6 Sliced Bread

Imagine painstakingly cutting a hunk of bread off the loaf, only to find it was too thick to fit in the toaster in the morning.

We’ve been eating bread in some form or another for around 30,000 years, carving chunks off the whole loaves to eat. Over time, we refined our dining habits to carefully cut slices off our store-bought loaves. However, despite the fact that we’ve been eating bread on a daily basis for many thousands of years, it wasn’t until the 1920s that sliced bread was actually invented.

In 1928, Iowa engineer Otto Rohwedder designed a commercial bread-slicing machine for his local bakery. The convenience of sliced bread was an overnight hit, and by 1929, Rohwedder was making bread-slicing machines for bakeries all over the US.^[5] Today, sliced bread is available in a variety of thicknesses, including a special “toast” thickness for breakfast.

5 Ketchup

Americans call it ketchup; others call it tomato sauce. Whatever you call it, the tomato-based sauce is slathered all over tons of meals every day. However, does squirting fermented fish guts on your breakfast sausages sound appealing? This was actually the origin of the sauce so many know and love today.

The Chinese ke-tsiap was a pungent sauce made from fermented fish. During the 18th century, the British tried to copy the unique flavor of this Asian sauce using foods such as anchovies, mushrooms, and nuts.

Tomatoes were eventually added to the recipe in the early 19th century, but the tomato-based ketchups spoiled easily. Ingredients such as coal tar were added to the mix in an attempt to improve the shelf life of the sauce.

It wasn’t until the late 1800s that a man named Henry Heinz decided to not only modify the type of tomatoes used but to take advantage of the fruit’s natural preservatives. He also added a healthy dash of vinegar to the mix to make the world’s favorite condiment we enjoy today.^[6]

4 Vegemite

A jar of vegemite can be found on almost every breakfast table in Australia. It has been Australia’s most popular breakfast spread for nearly a century, and it is the number-one request for “care packages” sent to friends and relatives overseas. However, it is also renowned around the world for being particularly vile-tasting.

The thick, black spread was born in 1922, when a food company hired a chemist to provide a food which would double as a vitamin B supplement. Dr. Cyril Callister spent months in the lab perfecting a tasty spread containing brewer’s yeast. Clever marketing, including a number of advertising “ditties” which have become Australian folklore, saw the spread become a national icon.^[7]

The trick to enjoying your vegemite on toast? You scrape it on sparingly, rather than spreading it on thickly.

3 Corn Flakes

Each morning around the world, quite a few breakfast tables feature corn flakes. In the late 1800s, Seventh-day Adventists were experimenting with various grains to create new vegetarian meals that accorded to the diet called for by their church. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, himself an Seventh-day Adventist, fed these concoctions to patients at the Michigan sanitarium of which he was the superintendent.

In 1894, he and his brother left some wheat to cook for too long. They decided to try to get dough out of it anyway, but instead, they got flakes, which they decided to toast and serve to the patients. The original flaked wheat dough was patented in 1895, and packages were sold by mail order. (And yes, Kellogg hoped that the bland meal would curb certain other behaviors.) In 1898, a larger factory was established to produce the wheat flakes, and competitors began producing the breakfast cereal, which was becoming increasingly popular.

In 1906, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes debuted after a period experimentation involving making the cereal from corn with malt, sugar, and salt added.^[8]

2 Packaged Milk

Every morning around the world, we reach into the refrigerator to grab the milk carton. Milk might be one of our most consumed products. We drink it, pour it in our tea and coffee, eat it with our cereal, and use it in many recipes.

We’ve been drinking milk (other than our own) for roughly 10,000 years, since we first began using the milk from domestic animals such as sheep, cows, and goats. Ancient Egyptians reserved milk for the very wealthy, but dairy products ultimately became a dietary staple.

By the 14th century, cow’s milk was favored over sheep’s milk. One of the first jobs of the morning would be to go out to the cowshed to fill a pail with steaming milk for breakfast. Needless to say, this untreated milk was full of germs and bacteria. In 1862, Frenchman Louis Pasteur began experimenting with ways to process and package milk to make it safer and more convenient.

The first milk bottle was invented in 1884 in New York state, making it easier to transport milk from the farm to the breakfast table. “Milkos” would visit each morning to replace the empty bottles left on the front doorstep.

The plastic-coated milk cartons we know today were invented in the 1930s. The original paper milk cartons were refined over the years, from “Tetra packs” designed during the 1950s to the carton we all use today. A Detroit engineer designed the first “gable top” milk carton during the 1960s. While it took a little while to take hold, by 1987, 98 percent of milk purchased came in one of these cartons.^[9]

1 Instant Breakfast

The pace of life in the 21st century has become so busy that many of us don’t have time to sit around the breakfast table enjoying our tea, toast, and corn flakes with milk. We need a quick and easy breakfast option that we can eat on the go, something we can easily consume on our morning commute. Instant breakfasts are a popular option today, despite debate over the nutritional value.

Instant breakfasts were first developed as early as the 1960s and originally promoted as a weight loss product. However, in the mid-1960s, the Carnation food company was marketing an instant breakfast powder that provided “all the nutrients of a complete breakfast” when dissolved in a glass of milk.^[10]

The popularity of these quick and easy breakfast products grew, with new options constantly developed. Liquid breakfasts are one of the most popular instant breakfast products available today. These days, you can suck your cereal and milk through a straw from a cardboard drink carton on the way to work.

Lesley Connor is a retired Australian newspaper editor, who provides freelance articles to online publications and also her own website.

Walk down any breakfast cereal aisle in the United States, and you will find a plethora of options. There are often dozens of selections, each with variations on flavor and type.

Sadly, some cereals that many enjoyed in childhood no longer exist. Whether it’s due to the public’s changing taste, a loss of license, or some other reason, some have simply vanished.

These ten kinds of cereal were once incredibly popular, but for whatever reason, you can’t find them anymore.

10 Weird Facts About Cereal

10 Mr. T

Back in the 1980s, you couldn’t go long without seeing something related to Laurence Tureaud’s popular character, Mr. T. The guy was everywhere, thanks to his popularity on The A-Team and Rocky III. To market off his popularity, Quaker Oats created a cereal that was simply called Mr. T.

The cereal was made with sweetened corn and oats, which were extruded into the shape of the capital letter “T.” It tasted a lot like Cap’n Crunch, which is also owned by Quaker Oats. The cereal debuted in 1984, and before long, it invaded popular culture.

Mr. T cereal made an appearance in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Pee-Wee Herman poured himself a bowl, saying, “I pity the poor fool that don’t eat my cereal.” The cereal had an additional catchphrase that was popular: “Team up with Mr. T (cereal); it’s cool.”

It appeared in various television shows and films throughout the decade, but it was ultimately discontinued in 1993. The reason Quaker Oats pulled it off the shelves was never disclosed, though it was likely due to the waning popularity of Mr. T in popular culture.

9 Hidden Treasures

General Mills released Hidden Treasures in 1993 alongside Springle Spangles, which has also been discontinued. Hidden Treasures were made of sweetened corn squares that all looked the same. The gimmick revolved around a filling made of icing that was flavored with cherry, grape, and orange.

While every square looked the same, some were filled with the icing. Kids would continue eating the cereal, and once they found a piece of hidden treasure, they wanted to keep eating. Hidden Treasures was marketed with the tagline, “The taste that’s full of surprises!”

This was a cereal that didn’t sit around for very long, but plenty of kids enjoyed it while it was available. General Mills stopped making Hidden Treasures in 1995, only two years after it was introduced. This meant that plenty of people missed out on it, while the few who didn’t tend to remember it fondly.

The cereal was around for such a short time; only two commercials were made. They included a temporary mascot, which was a robot named H.T. He was meant to be able to figure out which of the squares contained the so-called Hidden Treasure.

8 C-3PO’s

One year after Return of the Jedi was released in theaters, Kellogg’s introduced C-3PO’s to the masses. The cereal consisted of honey-sweetened oats, wheat, and corn extruded into the shape of the number eight. It tasted a lot like Alpha-Bits cereal but was said to have twice the crunch.

C3PO’s were incredibly popular among Star Wars fans who (correctly) believed there wouldn’t be any new content coming from the franchise for a long time. Fortunately, a commercial aired in 1984, and fans found that they could enjoy a newly licensed cereal featuring everyone’s favorite Protocol Droid.

The cereal came with a ton of marketing, including standees of C-3PO and other familiar markings. The box featured trading cards, cutout masks, or a plastic Rebel Rocket. There was also a send-away offer for a Kenner Star Wars action figure.

Unfortunately, Kellog’s stopped producing the cereal in 1986, only two years after introducing it. The boxes have become highly collectible, as have the individual small, single-serving packages Kellog’s released alongside the full box version. Even a flattened box without any (stale) cereal will cost around $75 or more on eBay.

7 Fruit-Shaped Trix & Mini Trix

Before 1991, Trix cereal came in the form of small fruit-flavored puffs, but that year, General Mills introduced something different. Instead of the familiar puffs, Trix was reformed into various fruit shapes related to each piece’s particular flavor.

Those shapes remained for years, but in 2006, General Mills reverted back to their original shapes. Fans of the cereal weren’t happy about this, and the company received thousands of requests to go back to the way it was. Fortunately, General Mills relented, and in 2018, the company announced that it would be bringing back the fruit-shaped version.

While you will be able to enjoy that version of the cereal once again, there is one that has gone away, seemingly for good. Mini Trix was introduced in 2015, and the name perfectly describes what they were: a much smaller version of the familiar puff-shaped Trix cereal.

Mini Trix were released as a limited edition. Like any variation to the popular cereal, they were enjoyed by the fans. Unfortunately, Mini Trix were indeed a limited edition. Once all the boxes were sold, they were discontinued and haven’t returned since.

6 Fruity Marshmallow Krispies

Rice Krispies have been around since 1928, and by 1939, the public became familiar with marshmallow Rice Krispies treats. These days, the recipe is on the box, and most people have enjoyed the combination of marshmallow and Rice Krispies at least once in their lives. They are insanely popular, so Kellogg’s released a cereal version in 1982.

Marshmallow Krispies managed to cut out all the work in making Rice Krispies Treats by putting them right into your bowl. Or, at least, it had many of the components. The familiar cereal was there alongside unflavored marshmallow bits. When milk was added, it tasted pretty much like the popular treats.

In 1987, Kellogg’s followed up with Fruity Marshmallow Krispies, which included orange, lemon, grape, and raspberry marshmallow pieces. The cereal remained popular throughout the early 1990s, but over time, its popularity waned.

By the mid-late 1990s, Kellogg’s stopped producing the cereal and ultimately discontinued it. While you can’t get Fruity Marshmallow Krispies any longer, you can still get Marshmallow Krispies cereal, though it’s now called Rice Krispies Treats Cereal.

5 Pac-Man

Believe it or not, Pac-Man is the highest-grossing video game of all time, and yes, that’s from counting quarters! The game’s popularity led to the development of a multimedia franchise, including comic books, numerous games, cartoons, and a breakfast cereal that was released in 1983.

At the time, Pac-Man had been out for three years, and the little yellow character was pretty much everywhere. The cereal consisted of “crunchy sweetened corn cereal with marshmallow bits,” which came in the shape of the eponymous character as well as the game’s ghosts, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.

Eventually, the cereal was upgraded following the release of Ms. Pac-Man. A new marshmallow was introduced with “a shocking pink bow” to honor Pac-Man’s main squeeze. It also included Super Pac-Man marshmallows, which were larger than the original ones.

Pac-Man cereal remained on store shelves until 1988 and was discontinued due to the character’s waning popularity. The same fate befell Donkey Kong Crunch, which was available from 1982 until 1984. That cereal featured barrel-shaped crunchy corn pieces and was similarly popular while it was sold.

4 Nerds

In 1985, Ralston introduced a cereal based on the popular Nerds candy with the tagline, “Which side are you gonna eat first?” Like the candy, Nerds cereal was split down the middle into two separate flavors. The duel varieties offered included orange/cherry and strawberry/grape and was described as “tiny, tangy, crunchy sweetened cereal.”

Kids especially loved the cereal because many boxes included small boxes of Nerds candy. They also featured a send-away offer for a “Two-Sided Nerds Bowl” and a “Nerd Gate.” These items were featured in commercials and made it possible to block the flow of milk from one side of the bowl to the other.

The cereal pieces looked a lot like the candies they were based on, but there were some issues. Because of the size of the pieces, they got mushy quickly. Additionally, the flavors often resulted in a somewhat sour-tasting mush. Despite these problems, the cereal had plenty of fans.

Nerds cereal remained popular for a few years, but Ralston discontinued it towards the end of the decade. Boxes sometimes turn up on eBay, where they sell for far more than they did when they sat on store shelves.

3 S’mores Grahams

General Mills released S’mores Grahams in 1982 to capitalize on the growing popularity of the campfire treat. The cereal was similar to Golden Grahams but included a blend of chocolate. It contained chocolate graham cracker pieces and tiny marshmallows that were the same as the kind found in packets of powdered hot chocolate.

The cereal came with a new mascot called the S’morecerer, who would help children get a bowl. This was usually accomplished by whisking the kids away from some sort of calamity, including getting chased by a lion. The kids would be happy… at first, but one would always ask, “Can I have s’more?”

The cereal managed to hit the mark in delivering a similar taste to actual S’mores. They remained on store shelves until 1988. Demand for their return saw that happen in the late 1990s, but it didn’t stay for long and was discontinued soon after.

While General Mills called it quits on making S’mores Grahams cereal, other companies haven’t. Kellogg’s introduced a similar version in 2003 called Smorz and kept it around until 2013. It also came back a few years later but was similarly discontinued in 2019.

2 Powdered Donutz

If you ever wanted to combine donuts with a bowl of breakfast cereal, all you had to do was buy a box of Powdered Donutz. The cereal was released by General Mills in 1980, and while they looked just like puffier powdered Cheerios, they were far sweeter.

It was described as a “cereal that looks and tastes like real donuts!” They weren’t the healthiest thing a kid could eat, but they were certainly popular among kids whose parents bought them. Eventually, General Mills released a chocolate flavor version, though it wasn’t as popular as the original.

Powdered Donutz managed to stick around for nearly a decade, but by 1989, General Mills called it quits on the brand. They haven’t returned, but General Mills didn’t entirely abandon the concept. Just six years after pulling Powdered Donutz from the shelves, the company introduced Frosted Cheerios.

Frosted Cheerios are similar to its predecessor, though they pack far less sugar than the originals. Of course, you can still buy a box of Frosted Cheerios, so if you throw a ton of sugar on top, you might be able to relive the glory days of Powdered Donutz cereal.

1 Nintendo Cereal System

When Nintendo released the Nintendo Entertainment System, it helped save the video game industry. From the moment it was released, it dominated the market, and the company wasn’t about to stop with just video games. Nintendo marketed its various characters in every niche market available, including cereal.

Ralston introduced the Nintendo Cereal System in 1988 alongside a commercial with a jingle folks in their forties still have bouncing around the inside of their heads. Each Nintendo Cereal System box contained two 7.5 oz (212 g) bags of two types of cereals.

One side of the box was designed to look like Super Mario Bros., while the other was related to The Legend of Zelda. An advertisement released in 1989 included the text “Nintendo is two cereals in one….Fruit-flavored Marios, Mushrooms, and Goomas. Berry-flavored Links, Hearts, and Shields….If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em.”

Each box came with four of 12 cutout trading cards that were meant to be collectible. Ralston discontinued the cereal after just one year, but you can still find it. Granted, you’ll have to drop as much as $200 per box on eBay, as it’s become highly collectible.

10 Famous Breakfast Cereals That Caused Absurd Controversies

About The Author: graphic artist, illustrator, and writer. He is a Retired Soldier and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects.

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it’s no surprise that chiefs worldwide have also conspired to make it the tastiest. Some breakfast foods are so popular that they can be found just about anywhere, while others still are some countries’ best-kept secrets.

From pastries and eggs to waffles, sausages, and everything in between, the sheer number of worldly day-starters is equal only to the countless people eager to eat them. So if your stomach is ready to begin its multi-continental journey, here are ten breakfast foods from around the world you need to try.

10 Arepa (Venezuela)

Made with ground maize meal or flour, these flat, round patties are the versatile centerpiece to many Venezuelan meals—including breakfast! Arepas can be prepared in many ways, such as on a grill, baked in an oven, fried, boiled, or steamed.

Depending on the region, an arepa will vary in color, flavor, and size but also what delicious combination of ingredients are stuffed inside. Avocados, chicken, eggs, and savory Venezuelan white cheese are only a handful of the favorite breakfast fillings. For an even heartier breakfast, try also adding beans, salad, or assorted meats.

With more than 70 distinct forms of preparation in the neighboring country of Colombia, it’s easy to see—and easier to taste—why the arepa has been a culinary staple in the northern region of South America for thousands of years.

9 Silog (Philippines)

Silog is a Filipino breakfast dish made from fried eggs and sinangag (fried rice). Originally referred to as tapsilog, which included sinangag and beef tapa, silog eventually became so popular that the once late-night hangover food found its way onto the breakfast menus of restaurants and fast-food chains.

All types of silog feature the dish’s main ingredient of garlic-fried rice, often accompanied by a fried egg. After that, though, the number of variations on this incredibly malleable breakfast is something to feast your eyes on.

To make it more digestible, here are but a few of the most popular silogs: hotsilog (hot dog, fried rice, and fried egg), tosilog (cured pork, fried rice, and fried egg), and longsilog (Filipino-style sausages, fried rice, and fried egg). Longing for silog yet?

8 Menemen (Turkey)

Hailing from the Izmir province of Turkey, menemen is a traditional, tomato-based Turkish spread that will spice up your mornings. Menemen is a mixture of finely diced or grated tomatoes with sauteed green chili peppers and beaten eggs topped with spices like ground black and red pepper, oregano, and garlic. You’ll typically find menemen served in metal pans alongside a big basket of bread at a restaurant. The spread is scooped up with the bread directly, allowing you to forget about the silverware.

When served for breakfast or brunch, most chefs will often forgo the addition of onions, which is a common ingredient on lunch or dinner menus. Beware, though, because many menemen lovers will argue vehemently on the vegetable’s behalf. Other takes on menemen bring cheese, spinach, and sausage pieces into the mix. Needless to say, this is one spread that won’t make you regret leaving your bed.

7 Ful Medames (Egypt)

Since the days of ancient Egypt, ful medames have been satisfying that morning hunger of man and pharaoh alike. The simple yet timeless recipe includes slowly stewed fava beans and chickpeas spiced with lemon juice, parsley, cumin, chili pepper, and onion. Hard-boiled eggs are a popular addition, along with a piece of pita bread and diced vegetables.

When prepared and served traditionally, ful medames will arrive in the same large metal jug it was made in. A favorite in Africa and the Middle East, as well as being recognized as a national dish of Egypt, ful medames has been adapted into many a reincarnation.

Some regions prepare it similar to a hummus dip with the additions of tahini, tomato, olive oil, and green peppers, while others opt for split green peas, Aleppo pepper sauce, or an even spicier mixture featuring coriander, peppercorn, and saffron. I guess there’s a reason why traces of the dish have been discovered in ancient tombs…

6 Syrniki (Russia)

If regular old pancakes just aren’t cutting it for you anymore, then it may be time to ask Mother Russia for her go-to syrniki recipe. Derived from the Slavic word syr, meaning “soft curd cheese,” syrniki are hand-sized girdle cakes stuffed with a type of soft, mild farmer’s cheese known as quark. The batter is made from eggs, flour, and sugar, sometimes mixed with vanilla extract before both sides are browned evenly on a griddle, maintaining a slightly creamy consistency.

Raisins, chopped dried apricot, apples, and pears can be added to the batter, while more savory versions call for adding onions or sour cream. When plated, it’s not uncommon to find syrniki paired with a side of fresh berries, honey, or jam. One taste of this Eastern European favorite, and you’ll have a new whole word for pancakes: syrniki!

5 Gallo Pinto (Costa Rica)

Gallo pinto is a hot breakfast dish served for generations in the Central American countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Starting with a hearty base of beans and rice, gallo pinto is often colored with cooked bell peppers, coriander, chopped onions, and garlic. The Costa Rican condiment salsa Lizano—a light brown sauce similar to HP sauce or Worcestershire sauce—is another flavoring popular among locals.

Several regional variations of gallo pinto define the dish throughout Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Valle central is a moister, less greasy variation that uses black beans, cilantro, and chili seasoning. Guanacaste, meanwhile, is fattier and prefers the red beans that are popular in Nicaraguan recipes.

Gallo pinto translates to “spotted rooster” in Spanish for the dish’s black and red beans giving it a multi-colored, speckled appearance. Although, if you ask me, the sound and smell of this dish cooking in the morning might just put that rooster and its crack-of-dawn crow straight out of a job.

4 Shakshuka (Israel)

Thinking of shaking your mornings up? Try shakshuka! Deriving from the Arabic term for “mixture,” shakshuka is an inexpensive, easy-to-make hot dish fit for any meal of the day. This filling meal consists of a spicy tomato sauce made with olive oil, peppers, onions, and garlic and spiced using cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. The whole thing is then topped with lightly poached or hard-cooked eggs cracked right over the mixture until the yolks have firmed.

Various types of bread commonly accompany shakshuka to sop up every last drop of the delicious sauce. Recommended bread includes the likes of pita, homemade flatbread, rustic crusty bread slices, challah, and crispy latkes. The best part about shakshuka? If you can’t finish it all in the morning, then your pasta sauce for dinner is already ready to go!

3 Churros con Chocolate (Spain)

Although the origins of this fried-dough favorite are as knotted as its shape, churros—churros con chocolate, to be precise—is a beloved breakfast dish straight out of Spain. By pairing the crisp, cinnamon sugar-sprinkled churros pastry with a steaming cup of hot chocolate, churros con chocolate is an unparalleled marriage of food and drink.

Whether you’re a sipper, dipper, or straight-up dunker, there are even more chocolatey choices to combine with your churros. Champurrado is a thicker beverage, while dulce de leche is caramelized milk with a sauce-like consistency, and café con leche is a strong coffee mixed with scalded milk.

Churros con chocolate is a particular favorite of the Spanish city Madrid, which has led to the creation of regional variants both inside the city and out. Porras is a more savory version of the traditional churro thanks to its shorter, chunkier stature and melted cheese filling. On the other hand, tejeringo is a thinner, more circular type of churro native to the Spanish province of Grenada. However you churro, just make sure you don’t forget the chocolate!

2 Chilaquiles (Mexico)

Ever wanted an enchilada for breakfast? Well, with chilaquiles—a popular breakfast dish out of Mexico—now you can! Corn tortillas are typically cut into quarters before they’re lightly fried or baked. After that, the tortillas are softened by pouring either green or red salsa over them, then adding shredded chicken, cheese, sliced onions, and eggs, either scrambled or fried. It’s not uncommon to find chilaquiles garnished with crema, crumbled queso fresco, or avocado slices. And to really fill a hole, side servings of refried beans and guacamole go great as side dishes.

The secret to telling the various versions of chilaquiles apart is all in the sauce. Some take on chilaquiles using the tomato and chili base of rojos, while others favor the jalapeno, lime, and cilantro combination of verdes. Whether it’s red or green, there’s no wrong choice. After all, “chilaquiles” derives from “chīlāquilitl,” a Nahuatl term roughly translating to “chiles and greens.”

1 Belgian Waffle (Belgium)

Belgian waffles may share some similarities with their American cousins, but there are more than enough reasons why you shouldn’t waffle on this rendition of a breakfast icon. Boasting larger squares and better pockets, Belgian waffles are made for holding a variety of scrumptious toppings such as whipped cream, fresh fruit, melted butter, and, of course, maple syrup!

The batter is made from brioche dough, and so—when combined with pearl sugar—gives Belgian waffles a light texture and subtle crunch that will be as recognizable to your ears as your tongue. But don’t forget about your hands, as, unlike American waffles, Belgian waffles are traditionally eaten with all ten digits. So, as long as you aren’t afraid to get your fingers a bit sticky, morning munchers can’t go wrong with this incredible take on a breakfast table classic.